Larissa Vince leaves Now to be CEO of TBWA\London

Larissa Vince: swapping Now for TBWA
Larissa Vince: swapping Now for TBWA

She has been at the independent creative shop since 2019.

Larissa Vince has quit independent creative agency Now after less than two years to re-join the holding company world as chief executive of Omnicom’s TBWA\London.

Vince, a former managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi London, fills the vacancy left by Sara Tate, who is stepping down from TBWA\London to be a consultant and leadership coach.

TBWA\Worldwide in New York sent out a media statement confirming it had recruited Vince after Campaign learnt of the news and approached the network.

Vince will lead the agency alongside Andy Jex, chief creative officer, Anna Vogt, chief strategy officer, and Katie Jackson, the managing director, who is being promoted to chief operating officer.

Vince and Jex previously worked together at Saatchi & Saatchi, where he was executive creative director.

TBWA\London’s clients include Adidas, Nissan and Pladis.

Now recruited Vince in August 2019 and she has led it through the pandemic.

The agency, which is owned by management and staff, launched in 2011 and is chaired by co-founder John Townshend. Clients include Vanquis and Legoland.

TBWA\London had 131 employees at the end of 2020, making it around four times the size of Now, which had 34 staff, according to their respective Campaign School Reports.

Vince said: “TBWA\London is already operating from a place of strength, and now it’s about super-charging the agency and taking it to its full potential.

"What’s great – and I think unique – about the agency, is that we are of a size to give our clients the focus and attention they would get from a smaller agency, but we have all the breadth and capabilities of a network.”

Townshend thanked Vince for her contribution, saying: “Larissa is an excellent operator and did a great job for us. She leaves the agency in its healthiest position ever. We launched three new campaigns in the last two months, for new clients Vanquis and Legoland as well as our best ever work for BT.”

Now has begun the search for a new CEO, with Townshend working with Ben da Costa, chief creative officer, Gaby Bell, chief strategy officer, and the board.

Vince spent nine years at Publicis Groupe, rising to MD at Saatchi & Saatchi. She was previously deputy editor of Campaign.

Her job move is the latest in a string of CEO changes in the UK ad agency sector in the last week.

Tate’s exit from TBWA\London followed sister Omnicom agency AMV BBDO's decision to poach Sam Hawkey from Saatchi & Saatchi London, which, in turn, recruited Chris Kay from 72andSunny.

Campaign broke the news of all those job moves.

The Hawkey and Vince hires mean two of Omnicom's three main advertising agencies will be run by former Saatchi & Saatchi executives.

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