Rory Sutherland, Vice-Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather UK, has been announced as Business Communicator of the Year 2013 by the UK Speechwriters’ Guild. The award is made to the most outstanding public speaker in business over the past 12 months.

The judges said: “Mr Sutherland sets an example in how wasteful it is to try to engage audiences with Excel spreadsheets and complex PowerPoint slides. He spreads optimism with insights like, ‘recession is the mother of invention’ and ‘human understanding is the future of business and Government’. These are the kind of sentiments that entertain audiences. Business leaders like Mr Sutherland, who can inspire audiences to try new things, will ultimately lead the way out of recession.”

The UK Speechwriters’ Guild was set up in 2009 to promote the interests and profile of speechwriters and raise standards of public speaking in the UK.