Nigel Morris to leave Dentsu Aegis Network after 26 years: ‘The right time to move on’
Nigel Morris has announced that he will leave the Dentsu Aegis Network after 26 years at the company.
Nigel Morris to leave DAN in March
Currently serving as a chief strategy and innovation officer, Morris will leave as of March, with no replacement immediately announced.
Morris has been with the agency since 1992, first at Aegis, before founding Isobar in 2003 where he served as chief executive. In 2009 he was promoted to chief executive of Aegis Media Americas before also taking responsibility for the EMEA region in 2012.
He also has been central the group’s social impact strategy since 2006, reportedly guiding how it positions itself to have a more positive impact on the world.
Tim Andree, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Dentsu Aegis Network said: “I’d like to thank Nigel for his commitment to Dentsu Aegis over the past 26 years. He has held a number of leadership roles across the business and has been instrumental in our own growth and that of our clients, to ensure their brands continue to win in the digital economy.”
He noted Morris’s importance in helping shape the group’s future strategy and changing its approach to client relationships. “While we will all miss Nigel’s passion and inspiration, we respect his decision and wish him the best in the future.”
Morris added: “We have the right vision, the right strategy, the right capabilities and the right people in place, so whilst this was not an easy decision, it now felt like the right time for me to move on. I’d like to extend a huge and warm thank-you to Tim and all my colleagues and clients, past and present, for making my career at Dentsu Aegis so rich, diverse and successful. I remain excited about the industry, about the role that agencies play and believe the opportunity for Dentsu Aegis Network to be a force for positive change will become even more powerful.”
Morris previously shared with The Drum at Cannes Lions what it takes to be a great agency chief. He extolled the virtues of having "a compass and radar." (See A compass to know exactly where you're going and a radar to be able to adapt.)
The announcement comes as holding company Dentsu Inc more widely reported favourable growth, a 7.2% 2018 revenue bump.