GRE hands top role to PPP chief

Guardian Royal Exchange (GRE) has appointed PPP Healthcare director of strategic business Chris Chadwick as managing director of its telephone sales operation Guardian Direct.

Chadwick is one of a number of top level PPP marketers being pulled into GRE, following its 560m takeover of PPP in December 1997.

He will have the final say on the winning agency for the 3.25m Guardian Direct and GRE brand advertising account, and replaces acting managing director Michael Tripp, who becomes director of future service delivery at GRE.

Guardian Direct marketing manager David Halston has been overseeing the agency pitch while marketing director Sue Roberts is on maternity leave and confirms that BMP DDB, Delaney Fletcher Bozell, WCRS and incumbent CDP are still shortlisted. Guardian Direct sells a wide range of insurance products – covering the motor and home sectors – over the phone.

It is understood that the decision has been delayed by a number of senior management changes over the past few months. GRE marketing director Larry Cattle has quit to join actuaries Bacon & Woodrow. His post has been scrapped (MW May 28). Brand communications manager Peter Valentin left in March. (MW March 26).

Halston says: “We still haven’t made a decision, but it is very unlikely that it will go to a repitch. We will make the decision on the basis of the presentations we saw.”

Tom Harvey, group communications manager of PPP, will take over some of Cattle’s duties in the new role of director of communications for GRE.

GRE an umbrella for a number of companies including Guardian Direct, Guardian Insurance, Guardian Health and Guardian Financial Services. Guardian Health will merge with PPP by the end of this year.

Marketing for the Guardian brands was centralised into a group-wide marketing unit as part of a company-wide restructure in 1996.

News Analysis, page 22