Our Global CEO, James Hilton, has been named in BIMA’s top 100 most influential people in the digital industry for 2019. BIMA, the British Interactive Media Association, is an industry body that represents the UK digital and tech industry. This year’s 100 were selected by an independent panel of industry experts. The BIMA 100 celebrates the most influential, pioneering, changemakers in the UK and their recent list includes Hilton as one of the top CEOs.
Hilton has spent his career shaping the digital marketing industry has held senior executive positions at leading global media and consumer brands including WeightWatchers, MGM Mirage and Guardian Media Group as well as in the agency world at Grey Advertising.
In 2006, dissatisfied with the lack of quality when searching for a mobile marketing partner, Hilton decided to start his own company – Inside Mobile. Over the past decade, he has driven innovation in the mobile advertising space, evolving the way in which brands reach new digitally native audiences. By mid-2010, Inside Mobile had far exceeded the expectations of its original business plan and global advertising giant M&C Saatchi acquired a majority stake in the company, rebranding it as M&C Saatchi Mobile. Hilton has remained with the business and in 2018, to reflect the direction and expertise of the agency, oversaw the necessary rebrand to M&C Saatchi Performance.
Hilton’s steadfast belief in the power of performance marketing has resulted in the rapid, successful growth of the agency, which now employs more than 150 staff in nine offices globally. M&C Saatchi Performance has won more than 20 agency and campaign awards since its inception and Hilton was personally voted the number one most influential individual in mobile by industry professionals in 2014 and listed as one of Europe’s top digital leaders in The Drum Digerati 2018.
Combining strategic direction, analytical thinking and entrepreneurial spirit, Hilton has used his pure performance focus to deliver business growth for clients, making him one of BIMA’s top leaders in the digital and tech space.
“[This award] is about celebrating the people who are the leading the industry right now,” explained BIMA Co‐President Nat Gross. “It’s about the people we look up to, the visionary leaders and CEOs that can make our industry a better place. The people with the imagination, technical skill and creativity to take us forward; and the new talent that can keep our sector strong. When you look at the people in this year’s 100 – people like James Hilton ‐ I think we’ve really outdone ourselves.”
Find out more about how we’ve changed as an agency, under the leadership of James Hilton, over on our about page
