Weber Shandwick UK CEO Helen Bennett Exits

(MENAFN- PRovoke) LONDON - Weber Shandwick's UK chief executive, Helen Bennett, is to leave the agency after 19 years with the firm.

Bennett joined Weber Shandwick as an account director in the London consumer team in 2007. Rising to global client experience lead in 2018, she became MD of Weber Shandwick London in 2019, and was then named as UK CEO in 2022, overseeing Scotland and Manchester as well as London.

During nearly two decades with the agency, Bennett has driven UK and multi-market communications programmes for clients including HSBC, Unilever, Nike Foundation and Aldi.

In an internal memo, Bennett said:“After a great deal of thought I've made the very difficult decision to step down as UK CEO. It's an emotional moment for me, but also a very positive one personally, as I prepare to start a new role in a few months' time that will push me in new directions and offer a new adventure.”

PRovoke Media understands that Bennett's next move will be revealed later this spring; she will be on gardening leave from the end of March.

EMEA CEO Hugh Taggart, who joined Weber Shandwick in the regional leadership role from FleishmanHillard after the departure of Michael Frohlich in May last year, will take on the UK CEO role alongside his existing responsibilities.

It is the first senior departure from Weber Shandwick in London since the firm became part of Omnicom PR Group, after the acquisition of IPG last year. While other agencies in the combined portfolio are being merged – Ketchum with Golin and Porter Novelli into FleishmanHillard – Weber Shandwick has so far been untouched by the consolidation.

In her memo, Bennett said:“I'm very aware that I'm stepping down at a time of significant change... While our industry, and our business, inevitably experiences periods of change and transformation, there are two things that have always mattered most to me about this team and will continue to matter long after I've gone.

“The first is how we show up for each other. It is a source of enormous pride to me that over the years we have evolved from a collection of separate teams and offices into a highly collaborative UK community. The teamwork I see every day across disciplines, capabilities and clients, and across London, Manchester and Scotland, is something I'm incredibly grateful for. That journey towards greater collaboration has strengthened our business, improved our work and, for me personally, made the role incredibly rewarding.

“The second is our shared determination to keep improving. I see first-hand the collective restlessness across this business – the constant desire to evolve, challenge ourselves and raise the bar. In an industry that never stands still, that mindset is what keeps us relevant and competitive.”

She added:“It has been an extraordinary privilege to spend nearly two decades here. It has been the greatest adventure of my career, made possible by the talent, generosity and humour of the people across this agency.”

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