Career Advice Successful High flyers’ story

Mike Rich, executive vice-president for sales and content partnerships at Fox Networks Group, is very much interested in the nuts and bolts of things

In simple terms, Mike Rich describes his role as “to engage and entertain while delivering an appropriate commercial message”, but doing that comes with many layers of complexity.

For the executive vice-president for sales and content partnerships at Fox Networks Group, it means helping clients connect with target audiences across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, using a combination of TV commercials, branded content and digital solutions.

“We use some traditional advertising components and create others, so the messaging is seen through a multitude of platforms,” says Hong Kong-based Rich. “With the data on digital distribution, we also find out how the audience likes to engage – the fanbase of Asia’s Next Top Model likes to watch the catfights and make-up tips on YouTube – and then make special videos to add value.”

When his mother passed away aged just 27, Rich was brought up by his grandparents, who had met in Singapore as army service wound down at the end of the second world war. They had moved back to Britain in 1959, opting for Plymouth, where one worked as a local council housing officer, the other as an auxiliary nurse.

That was home for Rich until he headed off to Loughborough University for a degree in design and manufacturing engineering. By the time he graduated in 1991, he was sure of two things: he didn’t like engineering and, in the midst of a recession, there was limited scope to pick and choose.

Therefore, he accepted a graduate trainee spot with Endsleigh Insurance and threw himself into selling personalised policies from an office in Central London, even winning the accolade of “number one salesman in the southeast of England”.

But then fate took a hand. When working late one evening, a chauffeur-driven Bentley pulled up outside, a short man came in, asked to sit down, and chatted away for the next 30 minutes. Only the following Monday did Rich discover that the unexpected visitor was the company chairman, who had been informally scouting for talent for an expanding division.

“So, I moved to head office and got into the marketing side of things,” he says. “I was cognisant of the fact that this was a very lucky break and I still had a lot of learning to do.”

The new role sprang from the company’s then sponsorship of England’s Football League, and Rich soon realised he had found his niche. Three years on, rejecting the chance to return to general insurance, he joined a six-person marketing and licensing firm where he made the tea, but was also in on sports marketing and broadcasting deals involving the likes of BSkyB and American football’s NFL.

For the latter, that meant handling all NFL properties in Europe, including licensed merchandise, sales of replica jerseys, and even a compilation CD. But the jobs also brought exposure to a diverse range of other clients and industries.

“It was a complete fluke falling into marketing and working on sports- and entertainment-related projects,” says Rich, who gradually became an expert in creating sponsorship packages to benefit brands and broadcasters – and build audiences. “I’d love to say I had some grand plan, but I only tried to look a couple of years ahead.”

Even so, from 1998 onwards, there were productive stints with big-name firms including J. Walter Thompson, WPP and Publicis. At various points, this saw him working with Ford in Formula One, getting Aston Martin cars back into James Bond movies, raising the international profile of Tiger Beer, finding backers for TV shows like The Amazing Race Asia, plus launching new agencies and media businesses.

Since joining Fox earlier this year, the focus has been on leading a 140-strong team and heading the recently launched Fox Content Labs, a creative production house which makes vignettes and short-form videos for viewing on TV, social media, and via online digital platforms.

“The use of content to connect with audiences has been growing exponentially,” he says. “The aim is to reach a specific audience with a specific message or story, and the group’s channels give us the capability to deliver in the biggest categories with the highest cumulative audience - sports, general entertainment and National Geographic.”

During his career, Rich has taken the view that, coming into any organisation, you need six to 12 months to understand the role, the business and the culture; a second year to make effective change; and in the third year, you should be at the point to hand over responsibilities and move on.

Other than that, he puts his own success down to having a good work ethic and an ambition to progress. He also highlights the importance of being open, listening to others, looking to collaborate, and assimilating ideas and influences.

As a leader, he tries to see the best in everybody, giving individuals the opportunities and flexibility to achieve what they want to. And while ensuring clarity about objectives, he guards against directing too much.

“Over the last 13-odd years, I’ve mainly had start-up roles,” he says. “They were incredibly different, but I had the luxury of setting the tone and culture and shaping things as I saw fit.”

Outside work, Rich has long been interested in architecture and construction. When based in Singapore, he bought and rebuilt a near-derelict, semi-detached property and later designed a 6,000- square foot dream holiday home in Phuket, which incorporated ideas from his wife and daughter. His thoughts are now turning to possible plans for a plot on the River Thames just to the west of London.

“I’ve always wanted to be an architect, so  I build houses in my spare time,” he says. “I enjoy the process, but I’d also love to learn to fly a helicopter. During my degree, I looked at interior cockpit design for planes and I’m intrigued to see how helicopters work.”