WPP Acquires New Commercial Arts

NCAwas founded in 2020 bya team includingindustry leadersJames Murphy and David Goldingand became one of the fastest-growing agenciesin the UK in 2023. Since its inception, NCA has worked with local and global clients including Sainsbury's, MoneySuperMarket, Vodafone, Nandos, Paramount+, Alzheimer's Society and Cityfibre.

Murphy and Golding previously founded Adam&Evein 2008 and built it into one of the most influential agencies to launch in the UK, with success on the international stage. NCAemploys approximately 90 people andis currently based in Fitzrovia in London and Merchant City in Glasgow, in partnership with the Glasgow School of Art.

Both Ogilvy UK and NCA will come under the leadership of James Murphy as CEO Ogilvy Group UK. This marks a return to Ogilvy for Murphy who began his career as a graduate trainee with the agency.

Fiona Gordon, who has led a resurgence for Ogilvy in the UK as CEO since 2021, has been promotedto Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy.In this new role Gordonwill report to Ogilvy Global CEO Devika Bulchandani, workingclosely with Global Chief Creative Officer LizTaylorand Ogilvy's Worldwide Creative Council.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: "NCA is one of the UK's most exciting new agencies with a great team, an impressive roster of clientsand a track recordof elevating beloved British brands. Its capabilities and client base make NCAhighly complementary to Ogilvy; bringing together these two very successfulagencies will drivegrowth both for our clients and our own UK business."

James Murphy, co-founderand CEO of NCA and incoming CEO of Ogilvy Group UK, said: "Ogilvy is rightly recognisedas the world's pre-eminent creative network, and to be joining with the remit to unlock our collective potential in the UK market is irresistible. For our team and our clients this will be a game-changerin what we can bring to their careers and their brands. Plugging into Ogilvy and WPP's network will give us accessto data and AI toolsat scale throughWPP Open and to a broad set of Ogilvy capabilities that were simply out of our reach as an independent- from influencer marketing, PR, CRM, commerce and service designto business transformation and brand innovation through Ogilvy Consulting."

Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO of Ogilvy, said: "James, Davidand theirpartnersare pioneersin our industry. When they created New Commercial Arts, theydeliberately chose the word commercial because growing our clients'brands and businesses is core towhat our industry does- an ethos mirrored in David Ogilvy's famous words: 'We Sell, Or Else'. Fiona's stellar leadership has been instrumental in propelling Ogilvy UK forward, playing a critical role in the growth and momentum of our global network. I'mthrilled that her impact will now be felt on a global stage."

Fiona Gordon, newly appointed Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy, added: "I'minvigorated everyday by the boundless potential of creativity to not only propel businesses forward but to leave an indelible mark on culture. To have the opportunity to collaborate more closely with Dev, Liz, and Ogilvy's Worldwide Creative Council to harness the creative brilliance of our network on behalf of our clients is a tremendous opportunity.In my new role I'mexcited that the UK will make a vitalcontribution as a keymarket."

Ogilvy UK ranked as the #1 agency in the UK on WARC's 2024 Creative 100 list, the definitive benchmark for creative success based on results from the most prestigious global and regional industry competitions. The agencycurrentlyhas capabilities that span Advertising, Customer Experience, PR & Influence, Healthand Consulting. Ogilvy Consulting was named inthe Financial Times 2024 list of the UK's Leading Consultants for the seventh consecutive year and has been recognisedfor its award-winning Behavioral Science practice, which hosted the 12th annual Nudgestockevent, the world's biggest festival of behaviouralscience and creativity, in July. Most recently, Ogilvy PR'sInfluence team was recognisedas the Best Large Influencer Marketing Agency at the Global Influencer Marketing Awards. Ogilvy UK's clients include Unilever, Mondelēz, Sainsbury's and F1; and it recently added Molson Coors to its client portfolio.

Ogilvy was namedthe Network of the Year at the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and was recognisedby WARC as the World's #1Creative Agency Network (2020-2024) and Most Effective Creative Network in consecutive years (2023, 2024).

Further information

WPP Communications

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About WPP

WPP is thecreative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clientsand communities. For more information, visit wpp.com.

About Ogilvy

Ogilvy has been creating impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, value-driving ideas since the company was founded by David Ogilvy 75 years ago. It builds on that rich legacy through Borderless Creativity - innovating at the intersections of its advertising, public relations, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities with experts collaborating seamlessly across more than 120 offices spanning 90 countries. Ogilvy currently ranksas the #1 global agency network for creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, signifying its ability to deliver creative solutions that drive unreasonable impact for clients and communities. Ogilvy is a WPP company. For more information, visit ogilvy.com.

About NCA

New Commercial Arts is an agency that unites brand and customer creativity, to make brands more desirable and easier to buy. For more information visit newcommercialarts.com.