Media centre

Monday 11 Oct 2004

OYSTER’S SHAOUL CAUGHT BY NETWORK RAIL

Region & Route:

National

Mark Shaoul, Brand Director at Publicis UK and mastermind behind the branding and marketing of Oyster Card in London, has joined Network Rail as Head of Marketing Services. Taking up his new post on Monday 11 October, Mark said: “I’m looking forward to sharing the experience and knowledge I’ve gained – particularly during my recent experience with Oyster Card, which involved starting a brand from scratch.  I think this will be particularly useful in this new challenge at Network Rail, which is still a relatively young company. “My aim is to help define and build the Network Rail brand, and develop an efficient and effective Marcomms team that’s best in class.” Welcoming Mark, Victoria Pender, Network Rail’s Director of Government & Corporate Affairs, said: “Mark joins Network Rail at an exciting time, as the company prepares to take up the new responsibilities the Government decided to award it following the review of the rail industry.  “Mark’s flair and expertise with a wide variety of marketing tools are a welcome addition to my team as Network Rail works to define its new challenges and how it will meet them.” Beginning his career in market research, Mark has also worked as a senior planner at the Aspen Agency.  Most recently he was a brand director at Publicis UK, one of Europe’s largest marketing services groups, where he set up and ran the marketing function for TranSys, the company behind the smartcard programme. More than two million people now use Oyster Card. With almost 20 years experience in technical marketing and management, Mark has gained expertise in a wide range of marketing tools, including: PR, brand development, direct marketing, field marketing, advertising, and all aspects of website inception and management.