British Gas been with T&P in its multifarious guises (originally CHI & Partners) for what seems like ever – at least 20 years – but it’s finally tipped to abandon ship for VCCP, which has made something of a speciality of winning big, complex corporates.
Post lockdown T&P saw off a stiff challenge from Mother and it’s defended the business successfully on a number of occasions although reportedly didn’t pitch this time.
It’s still a blow for T&P which itself is going through changes. Long-serving CEO Sarah Golding stepped down last year and founder Johnny Hornby was awarded the onerous task of making sense of owner WPP’s “specialist” agencies of which T&P, with its own network, is presumably one.
Victoria Appleby from Channel 4 succeeded Golding although this week it emerged she had been appointed a president of WPP Media (there seem to be two.) T&P has a media business too, formerly known as M/Six and now part of WPP Media.
T&P, which still handles the integrated Toyota/Lexus account in Europe, has been a valuable part of the WPP empire as it first sold a half share and the rest over time. Now it’s wholly owned and subject to WPP’s seemingly endless reorganisations it may have new challenges to face. British Gas, if it moves, wouldn’t be the ideal start.
