Rory Sutherland MBE

One of the most creative thinkers in the advertising industry, Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, one of the world’s most successful advertising agencies.

Within the agency, he co-founded and heads up its behavioural science practice, working with a consulting practice of psychology graduates who look for ‘unseen opportunities’ in consumer behaviour — these are the very small contextual changes which can have enormous effects on the decisions people make. Put another way, Rory seeks out those unexpected, and often inexpensive contextual tweaks, that transform the way that people think and act.

In his keynote presentations, Rory uses his decades of experience to dissect human behaviour in an insanely entertaining way. He shares his passion for psychology, behaviour and the benefits of thinking differently. And examines what influences the choices we make and why not everything that makes sense works, and not everything that works makes sense.

From unlikely beginnings as a classics teacher at a grammar school — and finding his colleagues far more challenging than the pupils — to his current role as Vice Chairman of Ogilvy, Rory Sutherland has created his own brand of the Cinderella story.

He applied to a number of advertising and marketing agencies before being offered a planning position at Ogilvy & Mather in 1988. Not long after, Rory was relocated to the creative department and became a junior copywriter, working on the Microsoft account in its pre-Windows days and then still a relatively obscure software company, plus other accounts including American Express and Royal Mail.

An early fan of the Internet, Rory was among the first in the traditional advertising world to see the potential in these relatively unknown technologies; once suggesting to Microsoft that they enable people to share office documents on the internet. The idea was dismissed.

Despite the rejection, Rory went on to help found OgilvyOne in 1997, the group’s dedicated digital and direct agency. He remains an advocate of so-called ‘360 Degree Branding’ ensuring brands have a coherent, joined-up presence in all relevant media areas.

Rory was appointed Head of Copy and shortly afterwards, in 2005, promoted to Creative Director of Ogilvy. He has variously been President of the IPA, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Jury at Cannes, and has spoken at TED Global. He writes regular columns for the Spectator, Market Leader and Impact, and also occasional pieces for Wired.

Ogilvy is now part of the massive global WPP advertising and media group which counts Ford, Unilever, IBM, American Express, BP and British Airways amongst its top accounts.

Rory Sutherland is the author of two books: The Wiki Man, available on Amazon at prices between £1.96 and £2,345.54, depending on whether the algorithm is having a bad day, and Alchemy, The surprising Power of Ideas which don't make Sense, published in 2019. ​

Rory is married to a vicar and lives in the former home of Napoleon III - unfortunately in the attic. He is a trustee of the Benjamin Franklin House in London, on the Development committee of the National Gallery and a Patron of Rochester Cathedral.

Rory Sutherland is a globally sought-after keynote speaker. His inimitable flair, charisma and polymath’s curiosity has made him a TED Talk superstar with over 6.5 million views.

In his keynote presentations, with characteristic wit and erudition, Rory looks at the successes, failures and downright bizarre from the advertising world.

He analyses the meaning of branding, what creativity is, and the value of persuasion over compulsion. In particular he looks at behaviours – as individuals and groups, consumers and employees – and how we often make the wrong decisions, or the decisions others want us to make.

What can honeybees teach us about creating a sustainable business?

How could budget airlines show us how to market a healthcare system?

Why is it better to be vaguely right than precisely wrong?

What might soccer penalty kicks teach us about the dangers of risk aversion?

And why can cheap, imaginative answers often be better than expensive ones?

Better "branding" can also be employed not just to sell products but to promote a variety of social aims, like getting people to pay taxes, improving public health outcomes, or encouraging more women to pursue careers in tech.

Rory Sutherland's career-long journey through the strange world of decision making is filled with astonishing lessons for all aspects of life and business.

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Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Rory Sutherland MBE. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.