Proximity yesterday announced that Hall had resigned in January to the Abbott Mead Vickers Group chairman Michael Baulk and agreed to honour his one-year contract. In a statement, Baulk called Hall "quite simply the best direct marketer".
Hall was one of the founders of the agency, launched 12 years ago as Barraclough Hall Woolston Gray, and held the role of chief executive until earlier this year when the former chief executive of Lowe, Chris Thomas, was appointed to succeed him.
According to Hall: "My sole objective since resigning has been to ensure I hand over businesses which prosper. On an international basis, Proximity Worldwide continues to expand in reach and quality. In London, 2003 has been our best ever in terms of new business. Most importantly, I am delighted Chris Thomas has joined as my successor in London as chief executive. The agency could not be in better hands. I will continue to work with Chris over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition. As to my own future, I have a new revolution brewing, which will be revealed in December."
As chief executive, Hall played a crucial role in the agency's growth from start-up to one of the UK's biggest direct marketing agencies. The shop is ranked fourth in the UK in Marketing's DM League Table with gross profits of 拢24.5m last year, behind WWAV Rapp Collins, EHS Brann and DraftWorldwide UK.
BHWG was acquired by the AMV Group in the mid 1990s and then steered through the merger with Clarke Hooper and Traffic Interactive, which led to the launch of Proximity London.
In 2000, Hall was appointed chief executive of Proximity Worldwide, in addition to his role as London CEO, putting him at the head of a network with 40 agencies in 36 countries.
Hall is the second of the founders to depart and he follows Proximity chairman and former creative director Chris Barraclough out the door. Barraclough resigned in March and has since launched a Soho-based creative DM agency Barraclough Edwards Chamberlain.
It is unclear if Hall, like Barraclough, has had enough of the big agency network structure and wanted to get back into small agency culture.
Hall set up what was BHWG in 1991 with Barraclough, Elly Woolston and Duncan Gray. Woolston remains in place as deputy chairman and Gray is executive creative director.
Baulk said: "Simon is quite simply the best direct marketer I've ever worked with. He has been the inspiration and the driving force behind the growth and development of BHWG and, without his vision, his energy and his passion for direct marketing, the Proximity Network would not be the international success that it is.
"It has been a privilege to work with Simon for these past nine years. I will miss his talent and his support but I look forward to a long and continuing friendship."
Hall will continue in his role as chairman of the Institute of Direct Marketing.
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