Royal Mail Chairman to speak at IDM Annual Lunch

The Institute of Direct Marketing has announced that Allan Leighton, Royal Mail Group Chairman, will host the IDM Annual Lunch, sponsored by Oracle, on 28 February 2008.

The subject of his after-lunch address will be Leadership.

IDM Membership Director Caroline Robertson said: "Our Annual Lunch has once again attracted an outstandingly accomplished business leader and talented speaker.

"The leadership challenges and triumphs of a man who holds two chairmanships and three deputy chairmanships will make fascinating listening.

"With his reputation for taking on some of the toughest jobs in UK business, I'm certain that even the most senior audience members will come away inspired by Allan Leighton's experiences".

Leighton is Chairman of Royal Mail Group and BHS; Deputy Chairman of Selfridges and Co, George Weston and Loblaw Companies; and Non Executive Director of BSkyB Group.

Currently at the centre of news stories surrounding Royal Mail, it was at supermarket group Asda that Leighton made his name, when he transformed the GBP500m company into a retail success that sold to US giant Wal-Mart for GBP6.2bn in 1999.

Leighton has been described as the best connected man in the business world - and his address on 28 February is expected to draw not only from his own experiences, but on those of other high-profile business leaders he has worked with over the years.

Renowned for his management philosophy of building a direct relationship with his workforce, Leighton is quick to acknowledge the huge responsibilities that come with leadership.

In a recent interview with The Guardian he was quoted as saying: "Running a company is the best job in the world, it's the hardest job in the world, it's the loneliest job in the world and you can put a great team around you but, in the end, the buck stops in one place".

The 2008 IDM Annual Lunch, which has a reputation for attracting an audience of over 200 senior marketers, takes place at London's Marriot Grosvenor Hotel on 28 February 2008.

Previous speakers have included Sir Martin Sorrell in 2007, Sir Keith Mills, General Charles Krulak of MBNA; ex-MI5 chief Dame Stella Rimington and the now Mayor of London, Ken Livingston.

The IDM Annual Lunch is also the event where the Institute awards its highest honours.

The IDM Honorary Fellowships and IDM Educator of the Year will be awarded to those individuals who are judged to have made outstanding contributions to the marketing profession.

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