Grey London names Lucy Jameson to replace Chris Hirst as CEO
Grey EMEA has named chief strategist Lucy Jameson to replace Chris Hirst as chief executive officer of its London business.
Jameson is now heading up the creative shop as Hirst leaves after 12 years for rival Havas. She has been part of the senior management team in London since her arrival in 2012 from DDB where she was executive strategy officer.
During her stint as the agency’s top strategist, she worked alongside Hirst and executive creative director Nils Leonard to develop a pan-European business strategy while also leading pitches for the region.
Former Grey London boss Hirst is moving to the same role at Havas Creative Group in the UK and Europe. He will assume responsibility for all the agency’s creative business in the region including Havas Worldwide and Cake. Hirst will report to Andrew Bennett, the global chief executive of Havas Worldwide and Havas Creative Group.
He is credited with masterminding Grey London’s renaissance in recent years with the business winning big accounts and consequently developing popular ads for brands such as the British Heart Foundation and McVitie’s under his stewardship.
David Patton, president and chief executive officer of Grey EMEA said: “I cannot be more proud of what Grey London has achieved over the last seven years. It has built a world-class reputation for producing amazing work and is currently the most creative and effective agency in the UK. Chris has been instrumental in this success and I’m immensely grateful for his significant contribution and commitment.
“Key to building any successful business is creating a top class management team, so it was a very easy decision to appoint Lucy as our new CEO. Lucy will not only ensure that Grey continues on its incredible journey but will take our agency, our people and our clients to new heights. It’s a really exciting time for Grey London and it will continue to go from strength to strength.”