Matthew Dearden

Matthew is co-founder and Chief Executive of Alight Media, the fastest-growing out-of-home media owner in the UK. In just three years Alight Media has moved from a start-up to one of the UK’s top five in a highly competitive marketplace.

Matthew leads a company that now helps advertisers engage more than half of all working adults every month, delivering 130m audience impressions every week. Revenue growth was +420% to July 2021 and is +185% year-to-date.

This is just the start of Matthew’s ambition to build hundreds more digital screens, becoming a leading digital media owner with the privilege of operating in the public space.

What Matthew is most proud of however, is the culture at Alight, founded on his core principles of business leadership and personal engagement. The company has not only survived but thrived over the last 12 months due to the values the team has created together and embodies: Blaze, Nurture, Collaborate, Celebrate and Aspire.

Matthew was previously President of Clear Channel Europe, having joined as CEO of Clear Channel UK in 2010. As well as continued UK responsibilities including major digitisation projects and contract wins, Matthew was responsible for Clear Channel’s business in 18 European countries, and had global responsibilities across Sales, Marketing, IT and HR.

Before Clear Channel, Matthew worked client-side in senior marketing and commercial roles at British Telecom, Telewest Broadband and Procter & Gamble.

Matthew is also the father of two children, a fan of the colour purple, beekeeping, folk music and climbing mountains.