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Annette King unveils her new top team at Publicis UK

Publicis Groupe’s new UK country manager Annette King, who left WPP’s Ogilvy Group last year, has announced her new management team and it’s a case of “here come the girls.”

Former colleague OgilvyOne CEO Jo Coombs, is COO, OMD Worldwide’s Anna Campbell is chief growth officer and new head of talent is Paula Cunnington from Dentsu Aegis Network. James Barnes-Austin who joined in June is CFO (all below with King, centre).

King says: “I am looking forward to bringing Jo, Anna, Paula and James together to create what I hope will be a truly game changing UK Country leadership team. They have such a diverse set of skills and experience which I am certain we can put to great use in service of our clients, our UK solutions hubs and agency leaders and our people.”

Publicis chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun says: “I am delighted that the combination of the Publicis Groupe country model and Annette’s personality and drive has attracted a leadership team to drive our unique Power of One proposition in the UK. We can count on this line-up to deliver on our promise to clients of a de-siloed integrated service platform that will accelerate their business growth.”

It is indeed a more client-focussed line-up than others with no operating unit CEOs (or presidents as they usually are in the new Publicis model) at the top table. COO Coombs, who left the Ogilvy empire when Michael Frohlich was appointed to replace King, is the most striking appointment, effectively number two to King and charged with key group pitches and hammering home the “data, content and dynamic creativity” mantra.

WPP appointed former MediaCom boss Karen Blackett as its first UK country manager in the latter days of Sir Martin Sorrell’s reign but there appears to be no such team around her, with the various network bosses still empowered.

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