Fran Luckin Joins Grey Africa As Chief Creative Officer

World-class talent bolsters Grey's team in Africa

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Paul Jackson, Group Managing Director of Grey Africa today announced that Fran Luckin would join Grey Africa and take the reigns as the company's Chief Creative Officer.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160201/328014

Fran will oversee Grey Africa's creative product and will work closely with Grey Africa's Executive Creative Director, Glenn Jeffery and Creative Directors Francois Du Preez and Charlene Olivier.

"I've always admired Fran's work as well as her rare ability to transition from the traditional world to the new world of integrated communications so heavily reliant on digital channels and technology to tell brand stories that people can connect with. Fran has helped lift numerous local and international brands to new heights at a number of leading global network agencies."

"What makes Fran one of the all-time great creatives is not just the long list of awards won, or the many famous campaigns that have made it into popular culture - but rather that she was always prepared to venture out into the creative wilderness, to break loose of the expected and the ability to transcend traditional big ideas into truly integrated campaigns," Paul Jackson said. "At Grey we believe in both Famous and Effective. Fran is a rare breed that has both the creative vision and the business acumen to help build a powerful creative business. She also recently completed her MBA – not many Chief Creative Officers can say that," adds Paul. 

Fran Luckin: Bio

Fran was named as one of the top ten most influential people in South African advertising in The Annual - South Africa's most authoritative compendium of the advertising, media, marketing and branding industry and she has judged at every major marquee award festival, most of which she's been awarded at herself: Cannes Lions Film Jury, Cannes Outdoor Jury, Clio Awards and D&AD and has also sat on the judging panel for the Apex Awards - South Africa's version of the Effie Awards.

Fran's career spans just on two decades that have seen her work with advertising legends like John Hunt and Gerry Human. She's grown from a copywriter at The Jupiter Drawing Room in 1997 – to Creative Director in 2000. She joined Ogilvy Johannesburg in 2003 and became Executive Creative Director of the agency in 2008. That year saw Ogilvy Johannesburg take the top spot at Cannes Lions, followed by another number one as the top agency in Ogilvy Worldwide also at Cannes in 2009. This was followed, in 2010, by South Africa's first Film Gold Lion in 11 years and an appointment to the 15 member Ogilvy Worldwide Creative Council. This success started a myriad of local awards for Ogilvy - which included number one agency at the Loeries in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as number one agency at the Apex Awards from 2008 to 2011.

Fran has spent the past two years as Executive Creative Director at digital agency Quirk, honing her digital story-telling skills, and continues as an executive committee member of South Africa's Creative Circle.

Grey Africa's Performance

Grey re-entered the South African market as Grey Africa after acquiring a majority stake in the Volcano Group in the same year it won the 2014 AdAge International Small Agency of the year award. In 2015 the Grey Group won the AdWeek and Euro Effies agency of the year as well as multiple Global wins at Cannes which amounted to a total of 113 Cannes Lions including: 21 Gold, 36 Silver and 48 Bronze. This translated into wins for 20 categories and four Grand Prix awards.

"This is one of the many reasons we need to keep adding firepower to our local South African team – we need to maintain the momentum of our global offices in producing Famously Effective work that remains relevant long after a campaign has concluded," adds Grey Africa ECD, Glenn Jeffrey.

About Grey

Grey is the advertising network of Grey Group, which is led by James R. Heekin III, Chairman and CEO. Grey Group ranks among the largest global communications companies.  Its parent company is WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY). Under the banner of "Grey Famously Effective Since 1917," the agency serves a blue-chip roster of many of the world's best known companies: Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Diageo, Kellogg's, Pfizer, Canon, 3M, NFL, Boehringer Ingelheim, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Nestlé, Papa John's and T.J. Maxx. Grey was named ADWEEK's "Global Agency of the Year" for 2015.

For more information, visit www.GREY.com/southafrica , www.GREY.com  and www.GREY.co.uk

About WPP

WPP is the world's largest communications services group with billings of US$76 billion and revenues of US$19 billion. Through its operating companies, the Group provides a comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services including advertising & media investment management; data investment management; public relations & public affairs; branding & identity; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion & relationship marketing and specialist communications. The company employs over 188,000 people (including associates and investments) in over 3,000 offices across 112 countries. For more information, visit www.wpp.com. WPP was named Holding Company of the Year at the 2015 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the fifth year running. WPP was also named, for the fourth consecutive year, the World's Most Effective Holding Company in the 2015 Effie Effectiveness Index, which recognizes the effectiveness of marketing communications.

Contact:
Nondi Mpila
Nondi.Mpila@grey.co.za
+27 11 706 3060 | +27 72 545 6508