RMG Connect, JWT’s “below the line” (digital, CRM, DM, etc.) partner agency has lost its second EMEA CEO in less than 18 months.
Linda Jackson seemingly took a big step down in her career arc to leave London last month and take over as the new General Director of OgilvyOne Mexico (her predecessor at RMG, Nelly Andersen, left RMG to return to her prior place of employment, OgilvyOne, back in October 2006 and is now an EVP, Global Brands at OgilvyOne Worldwide out of the London office.)
RMG Connect, particularly in the London office, has had mass defections of both staff & clients prior to, and during, Jackson’s reign at the shop — so perhaps it is not a massive surprise.
But given the fact that prior to the recent economic downturn, there was a vast amount of money to be made in the “BTL” area over the past couple of years — especially in the UK market — and RMG did not have much luck in either winning or retaining their current client base (they lost their accounts at Sky, Vodafone, etc.)
Of course, they still retain the HSBC business (in conjunction with JWT) — so the office meal ticket is safe for the time being — but Tim Hipperson, the UK CEO, and Philip Greenfield, RMG Connect’s Global CEO (who is listed on their website at the current contact for the EMEA operation) cannot be feeling too happy at the moment.