Claire Manning departs WhiteGrey after 22 years
WhiteGrey’s group account director Claire Manning has departed the business after 22 years, Mumbrella can reveal.
Manning joined Grey Group in April 1997 and since then has worked on Oral Health Portfolio of the GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare account, which included the brands Sensodyne, Pronamel, Parodontax, Biotene and Polident.
Claire Manning joined Grey Group in 1997, before it merged to become WhiteGrey
In May 2017, WPP merged The White Agency and Grey Group to create WhiteGrey.
Manning has also worked with Property NSW, The House of Robert Timms, McVities and Kimberly Clark’s U By Kotex. In her group account director role she was also involved with the agency’s leadership team, and worked more broadly on the account management team.
WhiteGrey CEO, Lee Simpson, said in a statement to Mumbrella: “We wish our group account director Claire Manning well, after 22 incredible years in the agency.”
Yesterday, it was revealed that strategy director, Warwick Heathwood, had departed the business after just five months in the role.
Mumbrella has reached out to Manning for comment.
When some one this good, who had served the Agency and wider Grey and WPP world, in leadership roles for 22 years, it would suggest that tension creates toxicity and the Juniorfication of the Ad World when inexperienced nomads, with no sense of loyalty or respect for service, are put into positions that they lack the skills to do.
I was there on her first day – feeling old.
Best of luck Claire, one of the best in the industry.
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Abandon Ship, Abandon Ship.
[Edited under Mumbrella’s community gudelines] and more time on actually doing some work.
This boat is going down fast.
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Having worked with Claire over several years across multiple brands and campaigns, she was a great director and will leave a large hole in the business.
You have to wonder what the constant is, and why anybody with talent has chosen to leave.
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Nomads seem to have collectively taken over this place and driven experienced talent out. Proof will be in the pudding to see if they actually deliver results
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Give it a break, Claire was there 22 years, you can hardly call it a constant. Not keeping up with who is where these days I was amazed to see the name. Claire was an account manager when I left in 1998 so I can only applaud her for driving a career at Grey to the top of her game. An amazing tenure considering various ownership/mergers, name changes and client movements.
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Well done CEO Lee Simpson, I couldn’t have summed-up Claires’ 22 year contribution to your network any better. Wait a minute, I could have, and I don’t even know her. A bit like you really.
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Truly one of the best – all the best Claire.
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I’ve had the pleasure of working with Claire on shared accounts and she’s undoubtedly one of the best suits in the business. Collaborative, positive, results orientated and loyal. Whoever snaps her up will be getting a gem.
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I had the pleasure of working with Claire many moons ago when I was client side. An amazingly positive and intelligent person who was such a delight to deal with. Happy trails Claire for whatever you get up to next!!
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One of the all time greats. The place definitely won’t be the same without you Claire. Any agency after a talented, smart suit could do a lot worse than Claire!
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I worked with Claire when Grey Sydney WAS Claire. She has made it through countless name changes and culls. Grey has lost out.
Wish you the best Claire.
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Claire, allow me to give you a more deserving write-up than the one you received. You were a sizeable section of the foundation that whiteGrey sits on. Recognised for your outstanding work not only in Australia, but the world over, your approach to client management ought to be bottled and made industry standard. Your professionalism, passion, intelligence, knowledge, loyalty and larger-than-life personality makes you one of a kind. Claire, I don’t wish you luck, you’ll be fine… whiteGrey, good luck.
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Hey Amy.
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What Claire brings to agencies is something many GADs in Australia have yet to learn.
She understood and supported good work, always!
She battled elegantly with clients to preserve the integrity to the creative idea, with no agenda but to sell in good work.
If she liked the colour blue, but creative came back with brown because they knew it was right for the problem at hand, she would support the colour brown, because she knew when to leave her personal likes behind.
Luck you, future agency that hires her next.
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Hope you [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy] on your way out babe. x
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Claire is undoubtedly one of the best suits I know and really sets the benchmark for suits in the industry. Humble, intelligent and deadly funny. Can honestly say I loved every minute of working under her guidance, and she has had such a profound impact on my career. She was adored by her clients as well. Go well, Claire!
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