The original Adam & Eve old guard are still peeling off even while the brand retains its profile, and Ben Tollett may be the last to go. He saw the agency through the 2012 buyout by DDB, followed by the departure of all the original founders and then Omnicom’s takeover of IPG one year ago.
Ben Tollett stayed loyal for 18 years, but is now leaving the agency’s current iteration, adam&eveTBWA, after a year as its group executive creative director. There are no plans to recruit a successor and the talk is of his “next adventure,” while his duties will be handled by CCOs Ant Nelson and Mike Sutherland supported by their three ECDs.
Tollett is behind some of Adam & Eve DDB’s original John Lewis Christmas ads and won two Cannes Grand Prix for Harvey Nichols in 2014. He’s also had much success with his work for Volkswagen, McCain and Great Western Railway.
Miranda Hipwell, Adam & Eve TBWA’s chief executive, added: “Ben has been one of the longest-serving players in the adam&eve team – from John Lewis to McCain, GWR and more – his talents have sparkled for almost two decades. Thank you, Ben, for sharing your extraordinary talent and creativity with us; wishing you all the best on your next adventure.”
Tollett said: “What an incredible run! I’ve been amazingly lucky, worked with a ridiculous number of talented people, and am so proud of everything the agency has achieved. Now I’m looking forward to stepping back and cheering from the sidelines, as adam&eve TBWA goes from strength to strength.”
He deserves a break and he had shares in the original Adam & Eve (alongside the founders plus Emer Stamp, Tammy Einav and Mat Goff), so his portion of the £110m earnout pot should help cushion the blow of no longer being a salaried senior creative.
