Ex-Portland staff join rival outdoor arm

Outdoor specialist Poster Publicity is to set up its own international poster buying operation using staff from rival Portland International.

John Ellery, deputy chairman and chief executive of Portland until last month will head the operation and be joined by Mike Segrue, Portland’s former director of business development. Also joining from Portland is former account manager Tracy Piesse.

Linda Booth from Posterscope International also joins as a director of the new division.

PPL had planned to merge with Portland at the end of 1994 in order to expand its international division. The merger was called off last January when Portland’s joint majority shareholder WPP opposed the deal.

Portland’s UK managing director Terry Alexander also left the company UK last week.

“Requests to look at several markets at once are becoming commonplace,” says PPL chief executive Gerry McSharry. “We will be able to provide clients and agencies with the most experienced team planning, buying and co-ordinating international poster campaigns in the UK.”