Mark Evans is managing director for marketing and digital at Direct Line Group, one of the UK’s largest insurance companies. Educated at the University of Nottingham, he joined Mars as a fast track executive and spent nine years with the company, managing a selection of brands across confectionary and pet food. He moved to 118118 Media, rising to CEO and monetising their voice and text inventory, then, after a stint as head of customer management at HSBC, joined Direct Line as director of brand portfolio in 2012. Mark quickly moved across to become marketing director then managing director for marketing and digital. In this in-depth conversation, he reflects on learning “the core toolkit” of marketing in his early days, describes how Direct Line “add value” to their market proposition but circumventing commission, and talks about how insurance companies could adapt to a world of autonomous driving.
