DMB&B’s Hinton pledges to stay on…

Graham Hinton, joint chairman of D’Arcy Masius Benton and Bowles, says he will stay at the agency, despite management changes brought in against his will.

Hinton denied speculation that he will leave the agency this week in the wake of the appointment of IMP president John Farrell as the new DMB&B Group chairman. Hinton told Marketing Week that he will remain chairman of the agency, reporting to Farrell. He denied rumours that he is in talks with other agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi.

However, Tony Douglas, Hinton’s co-chairman, will definitely leave DMB&B. Having originally being offered “early retirement”, Douglas is now thrashing out a new exit deal with agency heads. He could leave DMB&B as soon as Friday.

Hinton is known to be bitter about the changes, which will break up his ten-year co-chairman partnership with Douglas. Hinton and Douglas were informed separately about the changes last week by DMB&B worldwide chairman Roy Bostock.

DMB&B chief operating officer Lance Smith denied rapidly circulating rumours that he too is about to leave the agency. Smith oversaw DMB&B’s failed attempt to move to Canary Wharf.