LONDON — Burson has appointed its first EMEA chief operating officer, with Ogilvy leader Matt Buchanan moving from sister agency Ogilvy to take up the role at the end of July.

Buchanan has spent more than six years at Ogilvy, joining in 2019 as MD of Ogilvy PR before becoming global head of consumer PR in 2021 and then being elevated to global and EMEA president of Ogilvy PR in 2023.

During his time with the agency he has helped to transform the PR and influence practices across the EMEA region; Ogilvy was named as PRovoke Media’s overall EMEA agency of the year for 2025.

Before joining Ogilvy, Buchanan was with Havas-owned One Green Bean for seven years, initially as Australian MD, ahead of returning to London to launch its UK business as managing director. He has worked with clients including The Coca-Cola Company, L’Oréal, Google, TJX Europe and Pfizer.

In his new role, Buchanan will work closely with Burson’s EMEA executive management team and will be responsible for leading “operational excellence, effectiveness and continuous improvement of the business” across all the agency’s 22 markets in the region.

He told PRovoke Media: “Ogilvy has been amazing. I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved with the fantastic team, we’ve reinvented Ogilvy PR in the UK and the region, but opportunities like this at the world’s biggest communications agency don’t come up very often. It’s a really interesting time to join, one year after formation of Burson, as the agency moves from ‘becoming’ to ‘being’ Burson.

“It’s the right time for Burson to hire someone into this role, reflecting the importance and scale of the EMEA region, and the right time for me to make this move where I know I can make a real impact and difference. For me, the COO role is all about how we operationalise our business to deliver the best possible work and impact for our clients and to make sure we are the best possible place to work for our people.”

On working alongside Hughes, Buchanan said: “I think me and Jon are very complementary as communications specialists and leaders and I am really looking forward to working with him and building something special.  But most importantly, Jon’s a good person and an inspirational leader.”

Buchanan is the latest of several recent appointments to Burson’s EMEA leadership team from outside its legacy agencies of BCW and Hill&Knowlton: regional CEO Jon Hughes joined from Edelman in March, former Ofcom comms leader Simon Redfern was named as the new UK CEO in January, and Éloi Asseline joined from Weber Shandwick to lead the French operation in March.

Hughes said: “Clients today face highly complex, fast-moving challenges and opportunities. And Burson’s strength lies in rapidly deploying talent, tools and tech to help them succeed. I can’t think of a more experienced person than Matt to champion and further build our operational approach, so we can best help our clients cut through, reach their audiences and build their reputations.”

Buchanan added: “Burson has a clear and ambitious vision and the breadth and depth of the Burson offer in EMEA – from consumer and brand to health, corporate reputation and advisory – makes this a very exciting and career-defining opportunity. I’m thrilled to join Burson and work alongside Jon and the leadership teams to further Burson’s evolution, cultivating a dynamic, innovative, and purposeful agency culture to drive real impact and advantage for our clients.  And, of course, have some fun along the way!”

At Ogilvy PR, Buchanan’s successor in the EMEA leadership role is due to be announced in the coming days.