All change in Midlands as agency creatives play musical chairs
Paul Baker, creative director of McCann Erickson Birmingham, is leaving the agency to take up the same role at WAA in Sutton Coldfield. The news comes after WAA creative director, Chris Hughes, parted company with the agency by way of mutual consent, at the end of August.
Baker will be the first senior appointment made by Jacqui Lennon since she took over as managing director of WAA, allowing Andy Wilson to take on a chief executive role. Commenting on the changes, Wilson, said: “Jacqui, Chris and myself began looking at the structure of our creative approach quite a while ago and decided that we needed to change it. We’ve won some significantly bigger clients in recent months, both here and in our London office and as such need to take a different approach.
“Chris was very much party to the plans for the agency and was involved from the start. It was he who suggested we needed to change the approach. Chris has made massive steps in taking WAA forward from a small agency nine years ago to a national player now.”
Hughes is leaving the industry to study critical fine art practice at Brighton University. “I wanted a challenge that would stretch me creatively, having felt a bit stale lately.”
Hughes intends to work on a freelance basis across a variety of disciplines.
Explaining the appointment of Baker, Wilson added: “As a result of our plans, some months ago we began a nationwide search for a new creative director. It’s just a coincidence that he just happened to be based in the Midlands.
“Paul has bags of experience, having worked for some great agencies and won awards, and is very well respected in the industry. He’ll bring a fresh approach to the business as we raise the profile of our creative offering.”
While it is unclear as to whether Baker will be made to see out the remaining six months on his contract at McCann’s, when he does arrive at WAA he will take charge of a 10-strong creative team and will sit on the board.
Baker joined McCann’s in 2003, completing the agency’s year-long search for a creative director. However, chief executive Dean Lovett revealed that a replacement had already been found for the vacancy. “As we speak we’re in final negotiations with a very senior creative director.
He added: “We’ve been in conversation with this person for four or five months with a view to bringing them into the agency and we were able to agree terms last week.”
Lovett, however, was unable to disclose the identity of his new recruit.