If Deitchman joins the company from the WPP-owned network, where he heads up new business for Europe, it will be a blow for WPP Group chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell, who has long been thought to have an interest in buying Mother.
According to reports, Deitchman has a six-month no-compete clause with Red Cell, but is in negotiations to start working for Mother sooner than that. Deitchman was not available for comment at the time of writing.
Mother, which was been named ±±¾©Èü³µpk10's agency of the year for the past two years running, includes Coca-Cola's Dr Pepper and Lilt, Diageo's Pimm's, and the mobile phone company Orange among its clients. Most recently, it launched a major TV campaign for the Department of Health, which takes a new approach to educating young people about drug use.
The agency was founded six years ago and is run by four partners: Stef Calcraft, Andrew Medd, Mark Waites and Robert Saville. With 70 staff and billings of £90m, the agency has made a strong impact during its short lifetime. It has a reputation for doing things differently -- running without account handlers and steadfastly maintaining its independence in the face of numerous offers from the big advertising groups.
If the New York office opens, Mother will be following in the footsteps of an earlier generation of independent creative agencies such as Bartle Bogle Hegarty, which also has expanded to New York.
None of Mother's partners were available for comment at the time of writing.
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