AMV refutes claims of top creative hunt

Senior staff at Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO have moved swiftly to quash speculation that the agency is looking to hire a top-level creative to bolster the position of creative supremo Peter Souter.

The agency, part of the AMV Group which was wholly acquired by US giant Omnicom last week in a deal worth 346m, has carefully groomed Souter as the successor to founding partner and creative guru David Abbott, who retired in October.

AMV Group chief executive Michael Baulk refutes the speculation: “In terms of the leadership of the department, Peter Souter is the creative director of AMV and will remain so. We are always looking to strengthen our creative resource in the normal course of business.”

Souter, who has no deputy, says that he is considering making a change in the department but declines to comment further for fear of “damaging his chances of get ting who he wants”.