It has become something of a taboo in our society to say you don't want to be a leader — especially if you are one. Richard Hytner, a former CEO at the global advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, experienced it firsthand and is trying to break that stigma.- Lillian Cunningham, Editor, On Leadership, The Washington Post
Hytner notes that talent development, for example, is crucial to companies now, so the lack of a great track record for hiring, inspiring, and keeping star employees sometimes trips up aspiring CEOs.- Anne Fisher, Fortune Magazine
He argues convincingly that a great team of a chief executive and a number two is a more successful proposition than a solitary leader. Mr Hytner describes the various types of consiglieri – lodestones, educators, anchors and deliverers, according to his segmentation.- Luke Johnson, Financial Times
Richard Hytner, deputy chairman of London-based advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi, thinks corporate understudies are too often overlooked. He’s set out to burnish the reputation of the second-in-command...- Adam Auriemma, the Wall Street Journal
It’s a trove of advice about how to be a great deputy and principal adviser, a calling that has brought out the best in people as varied and admirable as Warren Buffett’s Charlie Munger, Anna Wintour’s Grace Coddington, Abraham Lincoln’s William Seward, and Henry VIII’s Thomas Cromwell.- Frederick E. Allen, Forbes

Author

Richard Hytner

A law graduate from Cambridge University, Richard joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 2003 as its CEO for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Today, as Deputy Chairman, he and his global strategy team work with leaders of Saatchi & Saatchi’s worldwide clients, helping them to develop, articulate and pursue their Purpose.

Richard is Adjunct Professor of Marketing at London Business School, where he graduated as a Sloan Fellow in 2003. He teaches MBAs, EMBAs and Sloans, as well as senior leaders on both open and custom programmes. Beyond family and football – he co-founded the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust to promote fan ownership of the club – Richard is a literature, theatre and film fan.

Richard’s first book, Consiglieri: Leading from the Shadows was published by Profile Books in June 2014. It is a celebration of the craft of leadership that supports, counsels, challenges and checks the out and out charismatic leader.

Richard’s Lovemarks include Paul Smith, Nespresso, Eric Cantona, London Business School, Drive Forward and Titanium Tutors

Sign Up for Newsletter

Recent Articles

In the Corridors of Power, Shadow Figures Are Stealing the Spotlight

Monday 17 Apr, 2017

Cool-Headed Confidants and Cunning Consiglieri Reflect the Best, and Worst, in our Leaders Seconds rarely come first. If media coverage is a reliable indicator of public interest, however, seconds in command are currently top of the show, not the postscript but the story itself. Those who advise, assist, check, and even, on occasion, usurp their […]

Review – Real-world Consiglieri

Wednesday 22 Feb, 2017

Tony Nicholls reviews Consiglieri. Review found at: http://tonynicholls.net/2017/02/12/real-world-consiglieri/ I was recently gifted a book titled Consiglieri: Leading from the shadows¹. It was a present from my Mother-In-Law who was told about the book by her friend, who is herself the Mother-In-Law of the author, Richard Hytner. By this circuitous, in-law-laden route I am pleased to […]