In what’s likely to be a number of painful changes, WPP’s GroupM is axing EssenceMediacom X, the agency formed to handle conflicting accounts alongside EssenceMediacom. X CEO Clare Chapman is leaving.
X’s biggest account was Sky Media, variously estimated at £150m-250m across the UK and parts of Europe. Sky has moved to Publicis Groupe’s Zenith.
At the same time EssenceMediacom has appointed former Zenith CEO Natalie Cummins as CEO of the main agency with Kate Rawlinson moving up to CEO of GroupM in the UK. IPA president Josh Krichefski is now head of GroupM EMEA. EssenceMediacom is the UK’s biggest media agency.
EssenceMediacom is putting a brave face on things. Global CEO Nick Lawson says: “Uniting our UK operations is an important step, but bringing Natalie on board is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
“She’s hugely respected, an outstanding leader and a perfect cultural fit for EssenceMediacom as we look to deliver even more breakthroughs for brands.”
Parking big accounts in conflict agencies is fraught with hazards, especially when they’re used to being the main event. EssenceMediacom X never had an air of permanence about it despite the brave words of former boss Chapman. Sky isn’t the only account reviewing at EssenceMediaCom with a global Unilever review taking place. Lawson, Cummins and co. have their work cut out.
