Robert has worked as a consultant for 20 years, following a successful career in commerce. He has advised senior executives and boards of many major companies, including Accenture, Barclays, BOC, BP, IBM, Unilever and Manchester United. His work to chart IBM's future, for Sam Palmisano in the mid 1990s, helped rebuild IBM's leadership in innovation and growth. When he is not consulting, he researches, writes and speaks about marketing accountability and payback. His most recent book, Marketing Payback (2005, FT Prentice Hall) was voted top marketing book of 2005 by the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He is married with 3 children.