Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO will lose the first of its founding
partners when David Abbott retires on his 60th birthday in October.
Acknowledged as one of the finest copywriters in British advertising, he
is stepping down as chairman of the agency to become a consultant.
’David is going to explore other ways in which his writing talents can
be expressed,’ Michael Baulk, chief executive of AMV, said. He will
continue working with a number of the agency’s clients and may still
produce some advertising.
’I had the option of going part time but decided against it,’ Abbott
said. ’I’ve always thought of advertising as an all-or-nothing
business.’
He added: ’I’m sad to be leaving but excited about doing something
new.
I may still write the occasional ad but try some other writing too. I’ve
never done so before because copywriting has taken up most of my
time.’
Abbott, who is a non-executive director of a publishing company, may
work on a book. ’I’ve no great expectations but I’d like to give it a
go.’
His departure is part of a phased withdrawal which began at the end of
1996 when he quit as the AMV group chairman and resigned as a member of
the group board.
In September last year, he ended three decades as a creative director by
handing creative command of the agency to his deputy, Peter Souter, and
has since confined himself to copywriting.
Abbott, who currently has what Baulk described as a ’flexible’ working
arrangement with the agency, will establish himself in an office close
to his London home. He will not be undertaking assignments for other
agencies.
His successor as agency chairman has yet to be named, but Baulk said it
was likely that the title would be taken by one of the 20-year-old
agency’s other founding partners, Peter Mead or Adrian Vickers.
’It would be good to have one of the partners in the role of chairman
for as long as possible,’ Baulk added.
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