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Pay joins Maguire in Grey’s new creative duopoly, ace media buyer Locke quits Publicis

Grey has hired former BBH deputy ECD Caroline Pay to join Vicky Maguire in the newly-created roles of joint CCO, London’s first such all-female team at the top of a big agency. Grey creative was headed by Nils Leonard who’s believed to be starting his own new agency when contracts allow. The two worked together at Wieden+Kennedy.

Maguire (below) says: “I’m super excited. We met at W+K and have talked about doing something together ever since. Caroline is a rare talent in that she understands how to not just create talked-about work, but she gets how to play brands in culture, as well as recognising how important culture is to an agency. I can’t bloody wait.”

Pay says: “My next move was all about the team for me – finding the right team with the right ambition. Having known Vicki for over a decade, we’ve always known we would rule one day – it was only a matter of time. What can I say? She’s my hero. Vicki and I share enormous self-belief, monster ambition, potty mouths and the ability to lead generously. We pride ourselves in making our teams and our clients feel anything is possible, and now it really is. This is the best chance in town. Bring it on.”

Steady on girls. Anyway Maguire and Pay have big shoes to fill following Leonard but Pay has a good pedigree (can we say that these days?) while Maguire has played a major part in Grey’s reinvention as one of the more creative big agencies in London. It recently won Marks & Spencer from WPP sibling Y&R but lost Vodafone to another, Ogilvy.

At the other end of the C-suite, at Publicis Media, long-serving trading head Chris Locke (left) has departed in what looks like a puff of smoke. Locke is one of the best TV negotiators in town and, as such, was a key member of Publicis global media boss Steve King’s team.

It will be interesting to see where he turns up next. Might he be tempted by independent life? At the7stars say? The prospect of Locke and 7stars partner Mark Jarvis in tandem would have most media owners quaking.

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