Marcus Rich says: “With a solid background in e-commerce, data and analytics, Michel is a fantastic addition to Time Inc UK’s executive team. Michel’s focus will be on helping us have a greater understanding of our customers, what their passions are, how they interact with us and what their purchase journey is. This knowledge will help us expand into new ventures and launch new products.
“Forming Michel’s team will be the newly created customer strategy team comprising our data, analytics and insight teams, customer marketing, e-commerce and subscriptions. He will also work closely with Marketforce - our distribution company - and our brand marketers. The team will act as business partners and bring expertise and value across all areas of Time Inc UK.”
Michel joins Time Inc UK with a background of 20 years in digital, e-commerce and CRM at international level. He started in digital publishing in the 1990s (Sony Music, Wolters Kluwer) and then held several senior positions as e-Commerce director with large catalogue and retail businesses across different verticals (B2B, books, fashion, consumer electronics). Recent roles include e-commerce director for Maplin Electronics and head of international multichannel trading for Marks & Spencer. For the last four months Michel has been working on various e-commerce projects within Time Inc UK’s Lifestyle and Specialist groups.
Michel adds: “It is a thrill for me to join Time Inc UK at such a perfect stage in the company’s evolution. Content and inspiration have never been so high on everyone’s radar, and both content and data are key to every brand’s strategy. With some of the most iconic magazine brands in the UK and daily engagements with millions of customers, our authoritative, trusted, rich content - curated by expert editors - creates a unique relationship with our audiences.
The convergence of content and commerce is only in its infancy, and as leaders in the market, we intend to be at the forefront of innovation to engage with customers in a 360° relationship.”
Reporting into Michel in the new role of group customer strategy director will be Amanda Wigginton, who will head up a new centralised Customer Strategy unit partnering with all of Time Inc UK. This new centre of excellence sees the Insight, Database and Analytics teams form a single department that brings together all the data and knowledge about the company’s consumers into one place. In doing so it creates a high-quality single source of information that will provide unrivalled customer understanding and knowledge to help grow both advertising and consumer direct revenues, says Time Inc UK.
