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My life in advertising: Rob Atkinson

Clear Channel UK’s chief operating officer Rob Atkinson, who has taken an interim role at the company’s Adshel joint venture in Australia and New Zealand, tells Jenni Baker how his experience will stand him in good stead in a new marketplace.

Having climbed the Clear Channel ranks three times since he joined in 2005, Rob Atkinson might seem a natural in the out-of-home sector, but his career started out a little differently.

Atkinson took his first steps into the world of media in the late 1980s. After a two-year stint with directory business Nowpoint Publishing, he was urged to step into “the real world” by a friend who worked in advertising.

So Atkinson entered the competitive world of newspapers when he landed a regional sales role at Express Newspapers. From here, he was head-hunted by the Mail on Sunday, a stint that lasted 13 years. Then the opportunity arose to work for Associated Newspapers in Ireland, at the Ireland on Sunday.

IRISH CHALLENGE

“Going from a market-leading title, with market leaders in every segment, and entering a market where Tony O’Reilly, who owns virtually every newspaper in Ireland, is the leading light, was a very different challenge,” he says.

But the move to Ireland turned out to be one of the best decisions of his career. “To go into the practically unknown – that’s exciting.”

Then the offer came to work for Clear Channel. It couldn’t have come at a better time for him. “When I’ve been thinking it’s time to explore new avenues, an opportunity has arrived.”

It was during the 2009 UK recession that Atkinson was given the chance to show his worth. “Guiding a business through rough waters was difficult,” he says. “We saw the recession coming early and we took action to prevent damage to our business.”

His efforts paid off and he was rewarded with a managing director position, before working his way up to become chief operating officer. The only regret Atkinson had was staying in the same place for too long. “I recognised, when I moved to work in a different market, what the opportunities were. I didn’t have to be limited to newspapers – I could take my skill set into broader categories.”

Atkinson is now looking forward to pastures new. He is eager to get stuck into a different culture and economy as chief executive of Adshel in Australia and New Zealand.

ROBUST ECONOMY

“Apart from the sun, sand and crisp white wine, it’s a massive opportunity,” he says. “In the UK, I got to cut my teeth in one of the most mature and complex markets that exists, so the opportunity to take that skill set into a culture with a different economy – one that is quite robust at the moment – is good news.”

Atkinson’s advice, which he will take with him to the new role, is: “Be curious and challenging, because you get better results. It’s important to be mindful, to listen, and to be reflective. Take time and keep an open mind.”

By Jenni Baker