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Thinking Digital: The customer is key

A SERIAL entrepreneur who was instrumental in the success of the BBC iPlayer project, gave North East delegates an insight into the secrets of building a successful business.

Speaking at the Thinking Digital conference at The Sage Gateshead, Richard Titus – CEO of Associated Northcliffe Digital (AND) – said: “You have to build a business around your customers. Every successful business I have ever invested in knew who their customers were intimately, and that created value around long term quality relationships.”

Mr Titus used his slot at the conference to explain how a semantic web would benefit the world, while also giving key indicators of business success.

“We too often say good enough or not even good enough. What are you doing today that delights your customers and if you are not delighting your customers, figure out what you can do that will delight them.”

AND is the digital subsidiary of Daily Mail and General Trust and Mr Titus oversees a portfolio of European digital businesses including Jobsite, Findaproperty, Primelocation, Motors.co.uk, and dating aggregator Allegran, and Teletext.

Previously he led one of three BBC future media divisions as Controller Future Media, A&M and Mobile.

In this role he is responsible for the strategic, editorial and technical delivery of its mobile products and services (including the award winning iPlayer) as well as a portfolio of pan-BBC product groups.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .