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Use our experience to help grow your business
Alan Hunter
Alan is a journalist and digital media specialist with extensive experience in content strategy, newsroom restructuring, change management and the effective use of analytics.
Since 2021, he has been helping publishers navigate the complexities of the digital landscape, drawing on his deep understanding of how to create and deliver compelling content, build agile and efficient newsrooms and leverage data to drive audience engagement and growth.
This expertise was honed during his seven years as Head of Digital at The Times and The Sunday Times for seven years from 2013.
He was responsible for the titles’ journalistic output in digital, both on and off platform, and also led their digital transformation, both in terms of strategy and newsroom organisation, as they moved to a subscription-first model.
In 2016, he combined the titles’ websites and launched the innovative edition-based publishing model, now being emulated at publications worldwide. He also launched Red Box, the politics-based email that became an established part of the Westminster landscape and spawned first a podcast and now a radio show.
Alan’s team led the transformation of the newsroom to being digital-first, by creating new structures to support digital publishing, building a team of digital specialists – covering video, audio, audience development, data journalism and digital storytelling – and running a newsroom-wide training programme with 24 separate courses.
The team also produced a full content review of the Times titles’ output, which led them subsequently to focus on quality above quantity and which began the evolution towards audience-first publishing. Alan also collaborated with the News UK data science team to produce the INCA analytics and insights tool. Both of these initiatives won international awards.
Prior to assuming his role in digital, Alan was Executive Managing Editor of the titles, primarily responsible for the Sunday Times budget and personnel issues. Before that he had served in senior print roles on the Sunday title, ranging from News Review Editor to Deputy Sports Editor.
A graduate of Oxford University, Alan has undertaken professional education at Ashridge Business School (strategy and finance), Stanford University (design thinking), Cambridge University (digital strategy) and Warwick University (behavioural insights).
Michael Brunt
Michael is a marketing, business and customer strategist, NED, and board advisor with a track record of driving growth and aligning teams for success in the digital age. As the founder of HBM Advisory, Michael now helps content businesses of all sizes unlock their full potential through future-facing business strategies, optimised customer experiences, and modernised team structures.
Michael was formerly General Manager of Times Newspapers Ltd, where he oversaw the financial performance of The Times and The Sunday Times and led brand strategies for long-term, cross-platform growth. Prior to this, he served as Publisher and Chief Operating Officer of The Economist, where he held various senior roles, including Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director of Circulation.
In his consultancy work with HBM Advisory, Michael applies this wealth of experience to help content businesses:
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Perfect their business strategies: Developing fully costed and future-facing strategies to drive sustainable growth by aligning content and commercial priorities.
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Refine customer journeys: Identifying and fixing friction points in the customer journey, from pricing and bundling to onboarding and engagement, ensuring revenue opportunities are fully maximised.
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Align team structures: Modernising team hierarchies and aligning editorial and commercial teams to reflect contemporary customer relationships and revenue streams.
Michael is an alumnus of the Harvard Advanced Management Program (2017) and has served on the boards of the PPA (UK) and the MPA (USA). His work continues to blend strategic insight with a hands-on approach, ensuring content businesses are equipped to thrive in a dynamic digital landscape.
