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Saatchi & Saatchi's executive chairman, Tamara Ingram, has quit the

agency to take over Ben Langdon's former role as the chairman and chief

executive of McCann-Erickson in the UK.

Ingram spent 16 years with Saatchis, becoming the chief executive in

1995, the year that the Saatchi brothers left the agency. She took the

role of executive chairman in April this year following the arrival of

the New Zealander, James Hall, at Charlotte Street.

"It has been a huge decision for me to leave," she said. "But I'm

joining an agency with a great future. McCann is in a position to

deliver the solutions that clients need in these challenging times."

Hall confessed to "shock" at Ingram's decision to leave. "If you cut one

of Tamara's veins then Saatchis' blood would pour out," he said. "It's

just one of those occasions when someone phones with the right offer at

the right time."

Ingram will take over the running of McCann's London agency and the

McCann-Erickson UK and Ireland group from Langdon, who was appointed the

agency's regional director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa last

week.

Langdon's role as the regional director of Universal McCann passes on to

Brian Jacobs, the former managing director of Carat International who

joined Universal in May. Chris Shaw, the chairman of Universal in the

UK, will report to both Ingram, in her UK group capacity, and

Jacobs.

Ingram stressed that she did not plan any management changes at

McCann.

Chris Hunton will continue as the deputy chief executive of the agency

with Nick Wright as the managing director.