New Commercial Arts joins Ogilvy as WPP announces leadership shakeup

New leadership announcements as WPP acquires NCA. Ogilvy global CEO Devika Bulchandani and James Murphy CEO Ogilvy Group UK (Image supplied)

This will further accelerate the agency’s momentum in the UK market.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, calls NCA “one of the UK’s most exciting new agencies with a great team, an impressive roster of clients and a track record of elevating beloved British brands”.

“Its capabilities and client base make NCA highly complementary to Ogilvy; bringing together these two very successful agencies will drive growth both for our clients and our own UK business,” says Read.

NCA was founded in 2020 by a team including industry leaders James Murphy and David Golding and became one of the fastest-growing agencies in the UK in 2023.

Since its inception, NCA has worked with local and global clients including Sainsbury’s, MoneySuperMarket, Vodafone, Nando’s, Paramount+, Alzheimer’s Society and Cityfibre.

Murphy and Golding previously founded Adam&Eve in 2008 and built it into one of the most influential agencies to launch in the UK, with success on the international stage.

NCA employs approximately 90 people and is currently based in Fitzrovia in London and Merchant City in Glasgow, in partnership with the Glasgow School of Art.

Leadership changes: Murphy, CEO Ogilvy Group UK

Following the acquisition both Ogilvy UK and NCA will come under the leadership of 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.

Murphy says Ogilvy is rightly recognised as the world’s pre-eminent creative network. “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-changer in what we can bring to their careers and their brands.

“Plugging into Ogilvy and WPP’s network will give us access to data and AI tools at scale through WPP 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 design to business transformation and brand innovation through Ogilvy Consulting.”

Fiona Gordon: global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy

Fiona Gordon, who has led a resurgence for Ogilvy in the UK as CEO since 2021, has been promoted to global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy.

“I’m invigorated every day by the boundless potential of creativity to not only propel businesses forward but to leave an indelible mark on culture,” says Gordon.

“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’m excited that the UK will make a vital contribution as a key market.”

Gordon will report to Ogilvy global CEO Devika Bulchandani, working closely with global chief creative officer Liz Taylor and Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council.

“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’m thrilled that her impact will now be felt on a global stage,” says Bulchandani.

Bulchandani adds, “James, David and their partners are pioneers in our industry.

“When they created New Commercial Arts, they deliberately chose the word commercial because growing our clients' brands and businesses is core to what our industry does – an ethos mirrored in David Ogilvy’s famous words: ‘We Sell, Or Else’.