News Broadcast - October 21st

Emily Turner

Good evening, and welcome to the evening news. I'm Emily Turner, bringing you the latest updates from the world of business and media. We have several important stories to cover today, so let's dive right in.

Emily Turner

In a surprising move, Ajaz Ahmed, the founder and CEO of AKQA Group, has resigned from his position after 30 years with the agency. AKQA Group was acquired by WPP in 2012 and later merged with Grey in 2020. Following Ahmed's departure, the AKQA Group will be led operationally by the existing leadership team at AKQA and Grey in the interim. In his parting statement, Ahmed expressed that serving AKQA's team, clients, and values has been the greatest honor of his life, and he looks forward to future meaningful work.

Liam Daniels

Thank you, Emily. I'm Liam Daniels, reporting live from the AKQA Group headquarters in London. The resignation of Ajaz Ahmed, who founded AKQA over 30 years ago, is a significant development in the advertising industry. AKQA has been a powerhouse in the digital marketing space, and Ahmed's leadership has been instrumental in the agency's growth and success. While the reasons for his departure are not entirely clear, the existing leadership team at AKQA and Grey will now be tasked with maintaining the agency's momentum and ensuring a smooth transition. We'll be sure to follow this story closely in the coming weeks and months.

Emily Turner

Moving on to another important business story, Henkel Consumer Goods, the parent company of brands like Schwarzkopf, Dylon, and Oust, has selected Group M as its new European media partner following a competitive pitch. Group M, through its agency Wavemaker, was the incumbent in nine markets covered by the review, but its remit has now been expanded to another eight countries. The account is understood to be worth €500m, or approximately £416m.

Emily Turner

In other news, Britvic-owned Robinsons has picked Lucky Generals to handle its creative account following a competitive pitch. Lucky Generals, an Omnicom-backed shop, took on VCCP, The Gate, and Wonderhood Studios in the final stage of the process, which was handled by Booster Consulting. The agency takes over from Saatchi & Saatchi as the creative agency for the Robinsons brand.

Emily Turner

That's all the time we have for today's news broadcast. Thank you for tuning in. I'm Emily Turner, and this has been the evening news. Good night.