Y&R man poised for AT&T top Euro post

AT&T, the US telecommunications giant which is poised to enter the UK market, is about to appoint Young & Rubicam board director David Gray as international advertising director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Gray headed the Y&R team that pitched unsuccessfully to retain AT&T’s $50m (ú33m) corporate and consumer advertising account across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. McCann-Erickson won the business, and it is believed that the agency will report to Gray.

Y&R still handles about $100m (ú66.6m) of AT&T work in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, another $90m (ú60m) of media buying in the US and about $30m (ú20m) of global business-to-business advertising.

Gray is European managing director of Y&R’s Pirelli account.

AT&T is the world’s largest telecommunications company. It was the eighth biggest advertiser in the US in 1993, with a spend of $516m (ú344m). In July last year, it was granted a licence to offer telecommunications services in the UK.