Ketchum

It has been a tumultuous couple of years for Ketchum in the UK, where the Omnicom-owned agency ranks among the top 20 and employs a team of more than 200. The firm began 2024 without a UK chief executive, after Jo-Ann Robertson (who had held that position for six years of significant growth) was promoted to lead all of the firm’s markets outside of the US. WE Communications veteran Ruth Allchurch took the role in April but stayed just three months; the position was once again open until the elevation of Sera Holland, most recently chief strategy and innovation officer for global markets, in August.

Holland was not the only high-level personnel move at the agency, which also brought in Noor Kheir from Burson as managing director of corporate and former Grayling director Estelle Boon as managing director in the consumer practice. Other moves included the promotion of Rachel Rix to chief growth officer.

All of that volatility notwithstanding, two things have remained constant: first, the firm’s culture, which has been a priority for Robertson since she took the helm in 2017. The firm’s commitment to DEI—both within its own ranks and as a counseling offer to clients—remains undiminished, and there is a renewed focus on client-centricity, an ethos that infuses the agency from its Kickstart internship program to its senior people embedded in client teams.

The second thing is the quality of the firm’s creative work. The past 12 months have seen a wide range of impressive work, from a corporate and executive leadership program for Collinson to the Christmas holiday campaign for Mars’ Celebrations chocolates, from supporting P&G’s Paris Olympics presence (which included a beauty salon for Pantene, Gillette and more and a nursery for Pampers) to helping Adone forge a partnership with the Women’s Football Association.

Despite a slight decline in revenue over the course of the year, new businesses were notable, and included  picking up the global football business for New Balance, and expanding the firm’s work for Mars to include new brands such as Ben’s Original, M&Ms, Maltesers, and Twix. Though arguably the biggest win came when Mastercard decided to review its business and Ketchum picked up an expanded remit, serving as both the retained UK agency and a strategic partner across Europe.—PH