Adland courts yet another DM chief

Direct, data and digital marketing skills are still proving a nailed on route to lucrative senior advisory roles in adland, after Tim Hipperson became the latest former DM agency chief to be appointed chairman of an ad agency.
He joins the likes of Marc Nohr, who recently joined Fold7, and Phil Andrews, the former chief operating officer at Engine, who have been courted by adland, a path which was first trodden by industry veterans Ivor Samuels, David Payne, Colin Lloyd and Clive Mishon.
The appointment is further evidence of John Watson’s recent assertion that in the real world, direct marketing skills are some of the most valued, both on the client side and in ad agencies.
Hipperson also busts the myth that men cannot multi-task; he is currently interim chief executive at Weve, the mobile mobile marketing and commerce joint venture between EE, O2 and Vodafone, although this venture is now set to close. He also has a number of non-exec and investor roles in marketing-related businesses, including software platform publisher Beyond The Story, employee engagement firm We Like It, and behavioural targeting business Inteliigent Futures, as well as his own consultancy Morph Management.
Now Hipperson has joined Fearlessly Frank as chairman, effectively succeeding former FCB, CDP, and St Luke’s chief Andy Law, who was non-exec of the agency between August 2012 and June 2014.
Hipperson’s exact role has not been revealed but given his experience in direct, data and digital businesses, it is a fair shout that Fearlessly Frank is aiming to branch out into these disciplines. One of his first jobs will no doubt be to raise the agency’s profile. Fearlessly Frank would appear to be every PR’s dream; a virtually unheard of agency with an impressive client list, including HTC, Nissan and DCM.
Hipperson started his career at the Database Group in 1990, then in 1995 became data planning director at Tequila. He went on to hold senior roles at McCann Relationship Marketing, DraftFCB, RMG – which held the Vodafone business – and G2 Joshua before quitting to join ZenithOptimedia. He left the media agency after just six months in 2013.

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