The top duo Brim and Beverley are leaving adam&eveDDB

This won’t be the Christmas present adam&eveDDB was hoping for, but highly respected CCO Richard Brim and CSO Martin Beverley have announced they are leaving in February to start their own company (both below, Brim on the right).

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Brim has won awards throughout his 11 years as a top creative and then CCO and most recently played a key role in establishing A&E at the helm of Omnicom’s DDB network in the US. Beverley spent nine years at the agency, which is known for its planning expertise.

Brim says: “As we write this, we are still wondering why we should leave such a wonderful place full of talented people. Although we are very proud of what we have achieved here, it is now time for something different.”

A&E has proven to be an incubator for new agencies. Three of the original founders – James Murphy, David Golding and Jon Forsyth – have branched out in new directions: Murphy and Golding founded New Commercial Arts (recently sold to WPP’s Ogilvy for another tidy sum) and Forsyth founded Neverland. Former joint CEO Matt Goff founded Ark.

Miranda Hipwell, CEO of A&E, said: “While we are of course deeply saddened by the loss of Rick and Martin, we are so proud of everything we have achieved together and very excited to see them embark on their journey as entrepreneurs to become.”

“Start-ups are vital to the lifeblood of our industry – as proven by the enormous success of Adam & Eve/DDB and its previous incarnations over the years – and it’s wonderful to see the agency creating a new generation of entrepreneurs.

“In the meantime, we look forward to the next chapter of Adam & Eve/DDB as we expand and build on the success we had in 2024.” Winners include Disney The Entertainer and Columbia.

A&E will most likely recruit from within when it comes time to replace the duo, as the agency has no shortage of talent. But Brim in particular has been instrumental in the agency’s award-winning work. Creatives across all disciplines will now report to Chaka Sobhani, DDB’s international CCO.

The prolonged departures of Brim and Beverley will almost certainly lead to investment offers from major agency and communications groups.

Update

Already has a nickname in London adland: the Ricki Martin agency….