Ray replaces James Whitmore, the managing director of Route, who stepped down earlier in the year for health reasons.  

Ray’s background in media includes five years as managing director of media agency PHD’s global strategy unit and roles at The Newspaper Society and Starcom. More recently, he founded and led consultancy Conduit5.

The decision process for the new chief executive appointment was led by Katherine Almond, chair of Route, Justin Cochrane, chair of Outsmart, the marketing body for OOH media, and Chris Daines, chair of the IPAO, the IPA’s OOH group.

In March, Route updated its digital currency for OOH to include ‘spot-level' audience measurement. 

Almond said: "We are delighted to have secured someone of Robert’s calibre to lead the team into the next phase of Route’s development. Robert’s experience in media agencies, the Newspaper Society and JICREG, along with his industry standing, will be very valuable to us."