Proximity has rewarded UK chief executive Mike Dodds for his eight years at the helm of the London agency by expanding his European responsibilities following a handover to managing director Gabrielle Ludzker (nee Moss).
Dodds, who joined Proximity from OgilvyOne in 2008, has been managing director of the network’s European region since January last year, as well as London CEO.
The move will allow him to focus solely on the European job, where he will continue to report to Proximity Worldwide chairman and former London CEO Chris Thomas. Dodds will have responsibility for three core areas: developing talent, ensuring greater collaboration, and growing Proximity’s 18 offices across Europe.
His promotion is in no small part due to the London agency’s impressive performance over the past eight years. Dodds was brought in from OgilvyOne in 2008 to steady the ship following the sudden departure of Amanda Phillips, who left without a job to go to just weeks after the agency merged with Craik Jones.
During his tenure, the agency has picked up a raft of new business, including Specsavers, Lloyds Bank, John Lewis, Oxfam, Disney, Skoda and Bacardi, and claims that every current client has been won or retained during Dodds’ eight years in charge of the UK office.
Dodds said: “I’ve got a huge stake in the UK agency’s success. Europe is the strongest region in the world for us. It’s a great opportunity for us to start to connect up these different offices and the talent to behave as a network in order to grow opportunities.”
Ludzker started her career at FullSix UK in 2003, switching to Proximity’s Paris office in 2009. By 2012 she had joined Proximity London as deputy managing director and became managing director in 2013. She has been core to the agency’s new business team which in the last 14 months has secured 19 pitch wins.
All regional office leaders, including Ludzker, will now report to Dodds, who is the first ever European MD for Proximity. Richard Fraser has worked in a similar role in Asia, the Middle East and Africa since February 2013.
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