Lowe chief Jones switches to DMB&B
LH-S founder quits top role to take over as DMB&B group chairman from US-bound John Farrell
Lowe Group vice-chairman David Jones is leaving to replace John Farrell as group chairman of D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles in London. Farrell will leave his job in May to become president of DMB&B North America.
Jones, who is understood to have been close to Lowe’s biggest UK client Vauxhall, will not be replaced by any outsiders. A Lowe Group spokes-woman says a restructure of the European operation will follow.
Sources suggest Lowe Howard-Spink chief executive Jerry Judge, who is also close to Vauxhall, will take over Jones’ position.
Lowe Group chairman Frank Lowe says Jones’ departure is amicable. Though LH-S has suffered some set-backs in recent years, losing Lloyds Bank media buying and Littlewoods Pools to DMB&B, it has recently enjoyed account wins such as Saab, Dollond & Aitchison and Express Newspapers. LH-S is also tipped to pick up TSB business from DMB&B in a review by Lloyds TSB marketing services director Ford Ennals.
Jones has been at LH-S since 1981, when he helped found the agency with Frank Lowe and Geoff Howard-Spink. He became managing director in 1983 and deputy chairman of Lowe international in 1990 when it was bought by Interpublic. He left the group in 1991 to become chief executive of CDP and returned in 1993. He has spent the past three years managing Lowe’s European network.
