OgilvyOne UK has announced the promotions of Managing Director, Sam Williams-Thomas to Chief Executive, and Jo Coombs (currently Managing Partner) to Managing Director, OgilvyOne UK with immediate effect. Former UK CEO, Annette King, was recently appointed CEO, OgilvyOne EAME (Europe, Africa and Middle East).

Sam has been at OgilvyOne for 13 years and was a Client Services Director for two years before being promoted to Managing Director in 2008. Sam has been instrumental in growing the business alongside Annette. Under their leadership, new business billings exceeded £37 million in 2011 alone and the agency’s headcount increased by 10 per cent against a backdrop of limited growth within the industry.

Jo has been with OgilvyOne for the past nine years working as a Managing Partner with responsibility for several major accounts. During this period Jo has also been Joint Client Services Director, and run the American Express Network, Mothercare and Unilever Digital accounts. For the last four years, Jo has been running the Global British Airways Loyalty business, including leading and successfully winning the recent British Airway’s Global Creative Technology pitch.

Paul O’Donnell, Chairman, Ogilvy & Mather EAME commented: “The UK agency has experienced phenomenal growth over the last few years and evolved to be a serious player in the digital space. With evolution comes change and now is a natural time for Sam and Jo to step up and drive the agency forward. As long-standing OgilvyOne people, they know the business inside out and are perfectly poised to take advantage of the opportunities this next era brings.”

Speaking about his new role, Sam said: “With clients increasingly looking to Digital and Direct solutions to meet their communications needs, this is an exciting time in the industry and for OgilvyOne. I am looking forward to working with Jo and leading the agency in this changing landscape and into this next phase of growth.”

Jo commented: “We’ve won some significant new business already in 2012 which gives us real momentum to capitalise and build upon. It’s an exciting time at OgilvyOne and I’m delighted to be part of the management team driving it.”

OgilvyOne has appointed Annette King as CEO of OgilvyOne Europe, Africa and Middle East (EAME) with immediate effect. In this role, Annette will oversee a network of 20 offices in 16 countries, driving growth and evolving the practice across the region. She will continue to be based in London where she will take on the role of Chairman, OgilvyOne UK. She will continue to report to Paul O’Donnell, Chairman, OgilvyOne EAME and Group Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather UK.

Under Annette’s leadership, OgilvyOne UK has seen phenomenal growth in a largely stagnant market, winning record new business including Drinkaware, British Gas Business and Bupa. The agency was the most awarded direct and digital agency in the UK last year winning at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, taking two Campaign Big Awards and 11 Direct Marketing Association awards. OgilvyOne UK was also crowned Campaign Magazine’s agency of the year in 2010 and 2011, and is widely recognised as UK’s leading direct and digital marketing agency.

Paul O’Donnell commented: “Annette is a formidable character with an enviable track record, and has helped to evolve the agency into a true player in the digital space. It is this success that makes her the perfect person to spearhead growth across the EAME region.”

Speaking about her new role, Annette said: “This is an amazing opportunity and I am incredibly excited and looking forward to working with our teams across the region. This is a fascinating time in the direct and digital industry, and I’m certain OgilvyOne’s combined strength across EAME will enable us to become a significant player in this region. The UK agency is very dear to my heart and I will continue to play a key role in the strategic direction of the agency.”

During Annette’s tenure as CEO, OgilvyOne UK grew by 30 per cent. In 2011 alone, new business billings exceeded £37 million and the agency’s headcount increased by 10 per cent against a backdrop of limited growth within the industry. OgilvyOne’s digital credentials were further underlined when it beat pure digital agencies to pick up BA’s creative technology business earlier this year.

Annette has worked at OgilvyOne UK for the past 12 years, enjoying a rapid rise through the ranks. She was appointed Managing Director at the beginning of 2008, and was promoted again to CEO, OgilvyOne UK, just nine months later.

OgilvyOne UK, leading a consortium called ‘the 12^th Floor’, has been appointed lead agency for the British Airways Global Creative Technology Business following a competitive pitch. The agencies will handle the airlines’ Digital Innovation, Strategy, eCommerce, Retail & Direct Sales, Social, Display, Mobile and regional tactical marketing. OgilvyOne UK already holds the British Airways Global Customer Engagement Business.

This latest win further underlines OgilvyOne’s strength in the digital space. The account will be hubbed out of London with a team in New York, supported by digital strategists from across the network.

OgilvyOne UK took a unique approach to the brief by creating a new model ‘the 12^th Floor’ to meet British Airways’ bespoke creative technology and ecommerce needs. Under the leadership of OgilvyOne UK, the 12^th Floor brings together leading industry digital specialists eCommera (ecommerce retail consulting and data experts), Imano (specialist independent mobile agency), Ravensbourne (innovation and design college) and Decision Technology (behavioural scientists and academics), to create a consortium team with the capabilities and expertise required to deliver against the brief.

Annette King, CEO of OgilvyOne said: “The 12th Floor is a hugely exciting construct for us as well as British Airways. It will enable us to genuinely help manage the entire customer experience working with our best in class partners. This is a game changing experience all round.”

Abigail Comber, British Airways’ head of brands and marketing, said: “We want to create genuinely useful, interesting experiences and services for customers that will embody our promise, ‘To Fly. To Serve’. Technology plays a crucial role in allowing our customers to feel connected to us. We already use it in a number of ways including the use of iPads by senior cabin crew to access latest customer information, the BA mobile app, our facebook page and twitter account and our new Google+ site which has already attracted more followers than any other airline.

“We were looking for one agency that could deliver a really innovative and tailored approach across all our digital platforms. We believe 12th Floor are the perfect team for the job, offering a range of skills and exceptionally creative thinking in one company.”

The 12th Floor will start working for British Airways on April 2, 2012 on a three-year contract.

OgilvyOne UK and Imano are confirmed vendors for Google’s GetMo, an initiative led by Google dedicated to helping businesses ‘Get Mobile’ by providing them with the tools and resources to make their online offerings mobile friendly.

This unique partnership will combine the best of creative in OgilvyOne, Campaign Magazine’s Agency of the Year, with Imano, the leading mobile experience agency. The programme will roll out in the UK on the 14^th March, and in Europe, Middle East and Africa over the next 12 months.

Annette King, CEO at OgilvyOne commented: “This is a unique partnership which combines the best in integrated marketing thinking and mobile development solutions. Our combined strengths and capabilities present a unique proposition for brands looking to ‘get mobile’.”

Mark Lister, Managing Director at Imano commented: “We’re excited by this opportunity to benefit from Google’s global reach. There is enormous potential to engage with brands who know they must create or refine their mobile proposition. We can’t think of a business that doesn’t need a mobile strategy”.

As an introductory offer, OgilvyOne and Imano are running free joint workshops as part of Google’s GetMo, which will encompass a mobile strategy audit including analytics, mobile content SEO, design and mobile marketing. Places are limited and brands looking to participate should register their interest on www.imano.com/getmo.

OgilvyOne celebrated being named Campaign Magazine’s Direct Agency of the Year 2011 by hosting a party at the The Ivy Club.

To see more photos from the evening, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ogilvygroupuk/sets/72157629231780665/

Campaign said that OgilvyOne had proven itself to be the most impressive agency in direct marketing and cited OgilvyOne’s creative product as going from strength to strength with impressive campaigns for clients including British Airways, British Gas, IBM, Freggo, Dove and Bupa.

The judges also praised the agency’s impressive record as the most awarded DM shop in 2011, winning at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity, taking two Campaign Big Awards and an impressive 11 Direct Marketing Association Awards, including five golds – three more than any other agency.

OgilvyOne and Neo@Ogilvy picked up 11 awards at the 2011 DMA Awards, winning twice as many gold’s as any other agency and more awards in total overall.

There were 4 gold’s and a silver for Freggo’s ‘Taste Experience’ campaign, a gold and a bronze for British Airway’s SME campaign, a silver for IBM Predictions and a silver and bronze for its Dove Body Language Facebook app in conjunction with Ogilvy & Mather Advertising.

Neo@Ogilvy won a silver for its campaign for the Disaster Emergency Committee.

The ‘Good Times’ app allows users to arrange a night out with friends and track their friend’s location on a map. Smarter drinking tips such as making every third drink a soft one and eating a meal before drinking, a drinks calculator to help track alcohol consumption, and taxi information support the campaign’s objective of avoiding a ‘good night turning bad’.

“By leveraging communications channels that this audience naturally engages with, this campaign talks to the user without coming across as being authoritative in a language they can understand.” commented Annette King, CEO, OgilvyOne London.

Kohlben brings a wealth of experience to the agency having worked with clients across industry sectors including consumer technology, automotive, not for profit, FMCG, finance, B2B, and arts, and across geographies including Europe, APAC, North America, South America and the Middle East. His previous experience includes working for White Hat Media and the Washington Post Group.

In his spare time, Kohlben is the founder and editor of WhatWorksWhere.com, the Global Guide to New Media.

Annette King, CEO of OgilvyOne, has been appointed non-exec Director of London First, an influential business membership organisation with a mission to champion London as the best city in the world in which to do business. London First represents the capital’s leading employers in key sectors and aims to influence national and local government policies and investment decisions to support London’s global competitiveness. Annette will represent the Capital’s creative industries sector on a board of distinguished business leaders.