Meet the Speaker: Elizabeth Deeming, Future plc.

Ahead of the FIPP World Media Congress on 7-9 June, FIPP’s Ashley Norris sat down with Elizabeth Deeming, Future Plc’s SVP of Group, to determine what the company prioritises as we move out of two years of rolling Covid-19 lockdowns and other restrictions.

The last twelve months have been busy ones for Future, which has had to manage the integration of the raft of brands acquired from Dennis Publishing in 2021 and other purchases such as the digital-only women’s lifestyle publisher WhoWhatWear and data insight platform Waive. All of this is on top of maintaining a variegated collection of high-profile brands from Country Life to Wallpaper, delivering new launches and brand extensions, and expanding into the US.

Elizabeth will speak at the Congress in Cascais, Portugal on 8 June. Tickets for Congress are available until 25 May, after which a surcharge on late registrations will apply. Sign up here. Delegates also get free access to our First-Party Data Strategies Seminar, 1 pm-5 pm on 7 June and to seven workshops on 8 June and 9 June.

Underpinning Future’s strategy is a commitment to diversification of revenue, and in this wide-ranging interview, Deeming talks to us about the importance of data, the marriage of content and e-commerce, and how technology is shaping the future of online safety.

She’s “been in leadership positions in information and services companies for the past two decades,” Elizabeth told Ashley in a question about her career.  “It’s always been my passion, the way that data and information connects, facilitates and empowers people and businesses to succeed. My career has spanned b2c as well as b2b – most recently I was Group Managing Director of Hyve plc where I ran the division which covered sectors from EdTech to Commodities to Ecommerce to FoodTech as well as overseeing product development and digital strategy on behalf of the group. A fascinating and busy brief.

“Before that, I was Chief Operating Officer for the private-equity-backed information services company Stylus Media Group. I’ve worked at NewsCorp, Deutsche Bank and a management consultancy. I am American but have lived in London for some time and had the opportunity to run teams all across the world.

“Joining Future last year has been hugely exciting: I have a dual remit, leading both our b2b division (which includes email newsletters, lead generation, and online products) and leading e-commerce across our b2c brands. There used to be a bigger difference between b2b and b2c but the world is evolving. The principle is the same: customers have specific needs and our products – whether information, data, or transaction opportunities – must serve those needs. At Future, I’m in a place where the b2b and b2c are seen as vital opportunities for cross-learning, and of fundamental importance to both is deep knowledge about our specific customer base.

Read the full interview on fipp.com.