Beleaguered agency United London loses managing director McGrath

United London managing director Sid McGrath has left the agency after eight years. It is unclear if he has a job to go to.

McGrath’s departure come just months after a raft of senior management changes at the agency formerly known as HHCL/Red Cell. Earlier this year, the agency bought in Jim Kelly and Robert Campbell as joint managing partners in an effort to revitalise the ailing London agency. The appointments came as WPP Group bought the 51 per cent stake in the agency that it did not own from Chime Communications.

The pair have already made a number of changes to the management structure, promoting head of account management Rhona Cairns to deputy managing director. It is unclear if she will now be promoted to McGrath’s role.

There has been a question mark over McGrath’s position at the agency since the departure last year of chief executive Nick Howarth to Clemmow Hornby Inge (CHI), where he took up the same role (MW September 29, 2005). United then scrapped the role of chief executive ahead of Kelly and Campbell being parachuted in.

McGrath joined the agency as a planner in 1998 from Euro RSCG. Previously he was a brand manager at Procter & Gamble. He was promoted from planning director to managing director of HHCL in March last year.