DentsuMB (they’ve wisely decided Dentsumcgarrybowen was far too much of a mouthful) has raided adam&eveDDB for its new UK CCO – former global creative director Simon Lloyd.
He joins CSO Sophie Lewis, hired from VMLY&R in February, CEO Gareth Collins from Leo Burnett and Fallon and former FCB Inferno production director Barratt Mistry who has been appointed head of project management.
“I can progress as a creative and build an agency from strong foundations, making the UK the modern creative hub. I think we’re going to surprise people.”
CEO Collins says: “We have an ambition to create big ideas that marry powerful storytelling with tech-enabled experiences. Simon is the perfect partner to help us deliver this.
“He’s not only a world class creative, but also a natural collaborator and perfect cultural fit, generous with his thinking, time and ideas: essential traits for any future-facing creative leader.”
Dentsu international is now led by former DDB global CEO Wendy Clark and the Japanese-owned network badly needs a world class creative agency to add to its Carat-dominated media offering. Dentsu is currently merging second network Vizeum into digital specialist iProspect.
Lloyd’s departure is a blow for adam&eve which will also now be contending with New Commercial Arts, the new agency from A&E founders James Murphy and David Golding. Adam&eve, which remains formidable, took over last year as the UK’s biggest creative agency by billings ahead of Omnicom stablemate AMV BBDO.