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12/12/2006 | Allan named to take the helm at OMD UK | Elizabeth Barrett Media Week |
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OMD UK deputy managing director Jonathan Allan has been appointed as the agency's new managing director, following the promotion of Steve Williams to the post of OMD UK Group chief executive. Allan, 32, who was widely tipped as the favourite to succeed Williams in the managing director role, will take over the helm at OMD UK's operations on 1 January and will report to Williams. Williams, 41, was chosen in September as Nick Manning's replacement and will also officially take up his post on 1 January. Allan joined OMD UK in 1995 on its graduate training scheme. He began his media agency career as a TV buyer, moved into planning and then became a business director in 2001. He was promoted to head of business management and deputy managing director in 2005. Williams said: "JA has been here man and boy and we have always worked very closely. He's a very talented guy and I wanted to be certain I gave the right person the opportunity to succeed quickly. He is a thoroughly decent bloke, incredibly smart, with drive and energy and has become a very rounded strategic media thinker - the perfect attributes for a managing director. "He now has the authority to move OMD UK on and shape it in a way that will guarantee further success for the agency and continue its successful contribution to the group's overall business progression in the UK." Allan added: "I'm delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the agency and have lots of ideas on how we can move OMD UK even further. I've been groomed for the job really and it was great to be chosen from the pack to become deputy managing director almost two years ago. "The media is changing rapidly and any agency must change accordingly. Structure will be something to look at, but it will be evolution, not a revolution. However, I am not afraid of making changes where they need to be made." In his new chief executive role, Williams will oversee OMD UK Group's assets, including OMD UK, Manning Gottlieb OMD, and OMD International. Manning, 49, announced his decision to step down as UK Group chief executive at the end of the summer after two and a half years in the role. |