Originally published on Campaign Magazine
Campaign picks the top 10 media suits in 2022.
1. Natalie Bell
Chief executive, Manning Gottlieb OMD
Bell spends another year at the top of the list, after winning Gold in the Media Leader of the Year (Agency) category at Campaign UK’s Media Week Awards 2022. Testament to her leadership, Manning Gottlieb OMD won Virgin Media O2’s £115m consolidated review, adding O2 to its existing remit on Virgin Media and retained the prestigious John Lewis Partnership business. Under Bell’s watch, MG OMD has implemented progressive initiatives, including policies on transitioning at work, gender expression, pregnancy and menopause.
2 Laura Fenton
Chief executive, OMD UK
After a glut of new-business wins under Fenton in 2021 – Comparethemarket.com, Channel 4 and Mercedes – 2022 was about bedding in these brands and rolling out work for them. Under her leadership, the agency focused on mental health by taking a five-month break from pitching following the Comparethemarket win. The big success was winning British Gas. While the new business contributed to OMD scooping Media Agency of the Year at the Media Week Awards, so too did Fenton’s cultural changes. Judges praised the agency for “a real focus on colleague development” and a strong commitment to a multicultural workforce and gender parity.
For the full winners list here: The Lists 2022: Top 10 media suits (campaignlive.co.uk)
