Julian Kynaston
Executive Chairman
Julian founded Propaganda in 1993, growing it to be one of the most respected and successful marketing agencies outside London. In 2006 Julian sold a proportion of Propaganda to the Board in a £14 million MBO. He retains a major shareholding of the business and the position of Executive Chairman, and is also a non-Executive Director for a number of Propaganda’s key clients including fmg Support and Seabrook Crisps.
Julian’s tenacity, natural leadership skills, as well as his ability to read the market has enabled him to systematically challenge, break and re-cast the codes for results-led marketing. He has continually championed the principle that brands should be represented at the boardroom table, and has made it his mission to build an agency with people that can act at this level and have the confidence to be measured against business, rather than marketing objectives.
When ‘planning’ became a hygiene factor for marketing agencies, Julian redefined ‘strategic’ consultancy when Propaganda became the UK’s only marketing and branding agency to be accredited with membership of the Management Consultancies Association (MCA), joining a select group of globally renowned businesses. Membership of the MCA proves Propaganda’s ability to bridge the gap between marketing and management consultancy, and highlights the intellectual rigor that the company brings to brand and business transformation.
Julian was also Marketing Director of hair beauty brand ghd, in which he took a central role in growing it to be the UK’s fastest growing private company in 2005. Following its MBO in 2006, Julian left ghd with two of the founding partners and shareholders to establish Illamasqua, a global cosmetics brand, and one of Propaganda’s biggest clients.
Julian’s latest move has seen him lead the agency to develop its own client - a much discussed idea within agency circles. Illamasqua was formed in 2008 as a branded make-up range designed to engender brand loyalty in a previously commoditised marketplace. By the start of 2010 Illamasqua had gone global and been the make up brand of choice for major celebrities. The brand is now acknowledged in the major fashion press as 'a cult British beauty brand'- no small achievement in a market dominated by Estée Lauder and L'Oreal.
Julian has won a raft of industry awards in the last few years, including Marketing Personality of the Year and Marketing Services Head of the Year for industry bible, The Drum, and Newsco Insider’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
