Grey London picks Ingram for top job

Tamara Ingram has been appointed to run Grey London, ending months of turmoil at the agency. Grey was left without a chief executive last year after Garry Lace was fired in the wake of a hoax e-mail.

Ingram, who formerly ran WPP Group’s insight, information and consultancy division Kantar, is expected to be the new chairman of the London agency. At Kantar she was responsible for Added Value, Fusion 5 and the Henley Centre.

A former head of the UK agencies Saatchi & Saatchi and McCann Erickson, she will also head the Procter & Gamble team and run the business globally.

Ingram had close links with P&G while at Saatchi & Saatchi, where she started her advertising career.

Her appointment is not thought to affect Carolyn Carter’s position as Grey Europe president. Dave Alberts, the agency’s executive creative director, added the chairmanship to his responsibilities after Lace’s departure.

Ingram is also the chair of the London Tourist Board and a member of the board of the London Development Agency.

Last year, when Grey Global Group sold itself to WPP for $1.5bn (&£815m), the Grey network was fired globally by Mars, resulting in an estimated &£17.5m drop in billings for the UK office.