The direct marketing start-up founded by Chris Ward and Amanda Phillips – An Abundance – has appointed former Arc creative chief Simon Darwell-Taylor as its creative partner.
Although not necessarily a DM industry “name”, Darwell-Taylor is best known for founding the Body Shop’s in-house creative department, The Creative Greenhouse, with Anita Roddick. His career includes spells at BBWB, CDP, Yellowhammer, Joshua, Mother and Rapier, and working in-house for Red Bull.
Darwell-Taylor, who will take an equity stake in the agency, aims to grow the creative department to 15 people in the first year.
When he was appointed to replace Jack Nolan and Graham Mills at Arc, the then managing director Mike Spicer, said: “What attracted us to Simon was his ability to see beyond ‘the line’ and create big ideas to work across any media.”
Ward and Phillips have been looking for a creative partner since they launched An Abundance in February, and have interviewed a number of candidates for the role. The agency specialises in CRM, digital and direct marketing and aims to differentiate itself from other agencies through providing strategic planning that will involve psychologists and consumers in the process.
Phillips quit agency life after she left Proximity in 2008 following its merger with Craik Jones. Ward left Partners Andrews Aldridge last summer, two years after Personal, the agency he previously ran, was folded into the business.
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