Nik Roope departs Publicis.Poke two months after merger
Two months since the merger of Publicis.Poke, the agency's creative chairman and Poke co-founder, Nicolas Roope, is to depart.
Nicolas Roope is moving on from Publicis.Poke
Roope will leave the agency at the end of August to focus on developing projects, rather than joining another agency, Publicis confirmed.
News of the merger between Poke, Publicis London and Arc broke in June. At the time, its chief executive and Poke co-founder, Nick Farnhill, told The Drum the amalgamation was “a scaled version of what we are already doing.”
While Farnhill took on the chief executive role, Dave Monk was made executive creative director and Roope was promoted to creative chairman from his role as creative partner at Poke.
Monk will now continue to lead on creative at Publicis.Poke.
Roope’s Poke journey began 18 years ago in 2001, when he, Farnhill and four other members launched the creative agency. Publicis acquired Poke in 2013 from Mother Holdings, which owned half of the company, and the six founders.
During this time, Roope played an important role in ensuring the integration ran smoothly.
Roope is also a board member of Publicis' VivaWomen UK and the creative director of Plumen, a boutique lighting company he founded 17 years ago.
He will continue to co-chair the Lovie Awards with Farnhill.
Farnhill said: “It’s a rare thing indeed to have been able to work with such a great friend for almost 20 years and had so much fun along the way. Nik’s brain, brawn and beard have always helped shape who we are and he’ll continue to be an advocate for the progress of Publicis.Poke."
Roope added: "After nearly 18 years steering Poke’s creative and strategic direction, this is the perfect moment to move forward and explore new possibilities."