- Andrew McMains

Omnicom Group's TBWA has replaced its U.K. Group president Tim Lindsay with Robert Harwood-Matthews, who is returning to the shop after less than three months at sister agency PHD.

Lindsay had held the position for more than two years. In his new role, Harwood-Matthews will be based in London and report to European president Perry Valkenburg.

Valkenburg described Harwood-Matthews as a "doer" who "thinks media neutrality and is an incredibly passionate media artist. I'm delighted to work with him in his new role."

The U.K. Goup president oversees a half-dozen agencies in England and Ireland: the London offices of TBWA, Tequila and Stream; BDH\TBWA in Manchester, England; and Cauley Ney\TBWA and Tequila, both in Dublin, Ireland.

Harwood-Matthews, 38, had been managing director of PHD West since August. Before that, he was a global managing director (on Infiniti) at TBWA\Chiat\Day in Playa del Rey, Calif.

Harwood-Matthews' first tour at TBWA began in 2002, when he assumed an account management role on Sony PlayStation in London. In 2006, after becoming client services director in the office, he shifted to CEO of BDH, which subsequently merged with TBWA\Manchester.

TBWA hired Lindsay in May 2007. Previously, he was chairman of the U.K operations of Publicis Groupe's Publicis. Earlier in his career, he spent 10 years at Interpublic Group's Lowe, starting as managing director of what was then Lowe Howard-Spink in London and rising to worldwide president.