World Traders

Andrew Marsden

After a 30-year career in FMCG businesses, Andrew now works internationally as a business strategy consultant and holds many non-executive Chairman and Director roles. Andrew is currently a Non-Executive Director of Whiteoaks International and is a Board Adviser to several other companies.

Andrew began his career in 1978 as a Unilever Trainee with Batchelors Foods in Sheffield. In his 15 years with Unilever he worked widely across their food portfolio. He then joined Freudenberg Vileda, becoming its Managing Director. In 1994 he joined HP Foods, and then Britvic Soft Drinks in 1997 and was part of the team that floated the business in 2005 with an enterprise value of £800m.

At Britvic, Andrew was responsible for technical and consumer innovation, insight, brand management, category management, corporate communications, and corporate services, working with brands such as PepsiCo, Robinsons, Tango, 7UP and J2O amongst many others.

Throughout his career, Andrew has been presented with several high-profile awards for innovation and creativity. He is a past winner of the prestigious MCCA Client of the Year Award, a Gold Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and was recognised as The Daily Telegraph Jaeger-LeCoultre Marketing Director of the Year in 2004.

Andrew has a significant record of professional, industry and charitable involvement:

He has served on the Governmental Advisory Committee on Advertising; is a former director of the Audit Bureau of Circulations; the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice. He is a former Chairman of the Institute of Promotional Marketing, the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers, and a Past President of The Marketing Society. From 2008-11, Andrew served as Chairman of The Advertising Standards Authority Code Review and their extension to digital communications. In 2012 he was appointed the Independent Reviewer of the Armed Forces Communications Capability Review. He is currently Chairman of The Debating Group, an association of 13 trade bodies who have held debates on business issues in The House of Commons since 1975.

As well as his membership of the World Traders, Andrew is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and was Master of the Worshipful Company of Marketors in 2015. He is a Bonnet Maker and Dyer of Glasgow. In 2016 he was elected to the Livery Committee of the City of London and re-elected at Common Hall in 2019. In 2017 Andrew was elected Chairman of the 14-strong Financial Services Group of Livery Companies, leading a very successful FSG delegation to five cities in China last year. In 2019 he was President of the Aldgate Ward Club and is on the Committee of the City Branch of the Royal Society of Saint George.

Andrew holds an honours degree in business from Bradford, an Honorary Doctorate from Anglia Ruskin and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Institute of Promotional Marketing, the Marketing Society and the Royal Society of Arts. He is a Senator of the International Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Andrew currently sits on The Lord Mayor’s Charity Appeals Board, is a former trustee of Marie Curie Cancer Care, ‘Change Grow Live’ the drug and alcohol rehabilitation charity and has been a trustee of several other charities. Andrew is a Freeman of the cities of London and Glasgow.