Former Publicis Dialog chief Mike Welsh – who has been in the shadows since the merger and rebrand to Publicis Chemistry – is set to take over from Joe Garton and Diane Charlton, who resigned earlier this week.
It is understood that Welsh’s appointment will be announced imminently, although not until Jason Foo – the current managing director of the agency – returns from a break.
Garton and Charlton have been in charge of the agency since Publicis Groupe bought Chemistry for £14.45m some 16 months ago, pushing Dialog boss Welsh further down the management structure.
The reason for their exit has yet to be officially explained but one insider simply said “they have had enough”.
Welsh was appointed managing director of Claydon Heeley Jones Mason in 2002, where he first worked for Nigel Jones – now UK group chairman and chief executive of Publicis.
Welsh quit Claydon Heeley in February 2008, to join the beleaguered Craik Jones. But after only six months Omnicom folded Craik Jones into Proximity London and Welsh jumped ship to Publicis Dialog, reuniting him with Nigel Jones.
Last week, Publicis Chemistry picked up the Everything Everywhere combined account, estimated by some to be worth £50m. Chemistry had handled the Orange account for more than five years.
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