Mike Ashton Bio

Mike Ashton
Managing Director
ABCG Consulting and Training
(Formerly CMO Hilton International)
Chairman, CMO Exchange & CMO Leadership Board

Mike Ashton is Managing Director of ABCG Training and Consulting. As a coach, consultant and award winning marketer, Mike and his team specialize in helping clients drive commercial value from their investment in brands and customer experience and improve individual and team performance.

Mike’s commercial experience includes senior roles with some of the world’s leading brand names including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and hotel giant, Hilton.

For 8 years Mike was a member of the board and Senior Vice President, Marketing & Brand Management of Hilton International. During this time, Mike led Hilton’s transformation to become the No1 hotel brand in all major markets outside the US, winning two National Business Awards for Marketing Strategy along the way. Mike previously lead similar award winning brand and service transformations with Stakis Hotel & Leisure Group and with ScotRail.

Mike’s challenge at Hilton was to create a brand strategy that would be understood and delivered by over 100,000 team members around the globe – and to turn that strategy into an experience enjoyed by guests visiting 500 Hilton hotels in 76 countries. The journey required Mike and his team to challenge conventional thinking in almost every dimension of Hilton International’s business, from commercial planning and product development to operational performance and cultural change - an inspirational journey that took the brand to unprecedented levels of quality and consistency across its diverse international markets.

Mike now harnesses that experience to help organizations create market-leading and profitable brand experiences – and avoid some of the pitfalls along the journey. Mike’s unique experience and pragmatic style make him a popular speaker at conferences in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Based in the UK, Mike is a family and keen musician, playing drums and percussion with any band that will let him join! Mike has an MBA and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Additional Roles: