Porter handed top role at WPP’s Added Value Group

Former top Abbey marketer Angus Porter has been appointed global chief executive of WPP-owned specialist brand development and marketing insight agency Added Value Group.

Porter, who quit as customer director of Abbey in June, takes up his new role next week.

He replaces Tamara Ingram, who became chief executive of Grey UK in May this year.

Porter, who was voted the second most-admired person in UK marketing in a Marketing Week poll last year (MW January 29, 2004), had overall responsibility for marketing, product development and pricing at Abbey and oversaw the rebranding of Abbey National as Abbey.

He has also held senior positions at Mars and BT, launching BT’s consumer broadband services and Mars’ Celebrations.

Porter will report to Eric Salama, chairman and chief executive of WPP’s research and consultancy division, Kantar. Salama says/ “Porter understands how clients buy brand and marketing advice, and he has shown throughout his career that he has the intellect, strategic skills and credentials to run a global business.”

Porter joined Abbey in June 2003 from BT’s consumer division, where he was first UK consumer marketing director and then managing director. Prior to joining BT in 1999, he had spent 15 years with Mars, initially as a scientist – he has a PhD in metallurgy – before switching to sales and marketing.

WPP merged Added Value, Diagnostic Research and Icon Brand Navigation, its marketing research, product development and insight consultancies, into one company under the Added Value name last year (MW October 28, 2004). Added Value has offices in 13 countries.

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