Starcom UK’s managing director, Nadine Young, has been promoted to the role of UK chief executive, replacing Mark Howley.
Howley, who led the agency since 2018 in a dual role, will now solely focus on his role as chief operating officer of Publicis Media UK, the Publicis-owned group made up of media agencies including Starcom, Spark Foundry, Zenith, Digitas and Performics.
Young was appointed managing director of the agency in 2019, in addition to her role as MD of Publicis Media’s specialist Procter & Gamble unit, PG One. Prior to Starcom, Young held senior roles at agencies including Mindshare and Vizeum during a nine year stint in New York.
“I have a long history with Publicis Media and some of the most rewarding times in my journey here have been since joining Starcom just over a year ago,” Young said.
“I’m therefore immensely proud to take over the reins from Mark and lead this fantastic agency going forwards.”
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As CEO, Young will lead an agency of 400 with an “immediate focus” on building momentum and delivering growth for clients.
She will report into Sue Frogley, CEO of Publicis Media UK, who said: “Nadine has been a key part of our succession plans and I am thrilled to be able to promote her to CEO of Starcom.
“She has more than proven her brilliance in running the agency as MD, so this is testament to her dedication to our clients and our people alike.”
To replace Young as managing director, Starcom has poached MediaCom’s Richard Friar. Friar will report directly into Young and will be responsible for driving growth for the agency.
Starcom has also promoted Louise Peacocke, former managing partner at Starcom, to succeed Young as managing director of PG One, joining forces with the unit’s COO Carol Miller-Repetto.
Commenting on the appointments, Young said she was “thrilled” to bring Friar on board, as “he has a wealth of experience leading large teams and I know he’ll be a great addition as we look to build on the momentum from some great wins last year”.
She added: “By the same token, Louise has an incredible track record of managing teams and running client accounts at the most senior level. Her ambitious focus and previous experience working on P&G makes her ideally placed to take over from me and lead PG One to further success.”
