As some of you may have already read elsewhere, I’m very sad to confirm that I’ve chosen to step down from my position as CEO of Nelson Bostock Group Unlimited (NBGU).
This has not been an easy decision to take, but it’s one that I’m confident is right for me – and I’m delighted to leave behind a tremendously strong management team who I know will continue to help you to produce excellent work on behalf of our clients.
When I joined the agency in 1996 as its thirteenth employee, I made a commitment to myself that I’d “stay with this one for at least two years”. Little did I know that I’d be around for the nearly twenty years that followed.
In that time, I’ve occupied a number of seats in the business and for more than eight years I’ve been proud to call myself its leader – first as MD of Nelson Bostock Communications and more latterly as the CEO of a wider group of agencies and as a member of parent company Creston’s Communications and Insight Board. During this time, our teams have achieved so much.
In the last few years, Nelson Bostock has changed beyond recognition. And I’m so proud to have played my part.
Five years ago we created Fever, and Nelson Bostock Unlimited has continued to grow, going from strength-to-strength. They are now both well-established, successful, high-profile agencies in their own right. We’ve launched and continued to develop Things Unlimited in partnership with sister agency TMW Unlimited and built an enviable content offer from the ground up through MediaWorks and our Studio team.
Over the same period, we’ve been named Consultancy of the Year twice; our teams have been nominated for more than 80 industry awards; and we’re continually recognised as a great place to work. We’ve grown from being one agency of 40-odd people, to being a group of agencies numbering not far short of 100.
The business is in fantastic shape, with fantastic people and a fantastic client list. I hope my teams are as proud as I am.
I’m especially pleased that the recent modernisation initiatives we’ve undertaken across the agencies have enabled us to re-invent our client offer and seen us recognised by the PRCA as an ‘Agency of the Future’.
And how we shape ourselves for the future is now what’s most important. The foundations here are solid and the agency leadership team is talented, visionary and capable. I believe that now is the time for our core agencies to be allowed to flourish.
In Bruce McLachlan, Nick Clark and Susie Clark we have three great Managing Directors who are experienced, determined and – just as importantly – collaborative, intelligent thinkers. They are ready to take the challenge on from here. They are, and will continue to be, brilliant.
For me, it’s time for a new challenge outside of the Creston Group. I’m keen to continue to shape and build teams that can deliver next-generation communications programmes for clients and I’m determined to put the skills we as PRs offer at the centre of ‘integration’ initiatives. I believe the future for PR has never been brighter.
Finally, I want to thank Martin Bostock and Roger Nelson for hiring me and then appointing me to lead Nelson Bostock Group Unlimited. They were the most inspirational, challenging and caring bosses anyone could ever hope to have. I’d also like to thank the senior leadership team at Creston and NBGU for all their encouragement and support. And of course, I’d like to thank the amazing, incredible people that have worked with me, and for me, over the last twenty years. This is a very special company.
But it’s not over quite yet. My final day as CEO of Nelson Bostock Group isn’t until late January 2016, so I will be enjoying one last festive season with the teams here. After that, I’ll be taking my family – including baby twins – over to spend six weeks with the in-laws in Australia and New Zealand. My longest holiday for 20+ years WITHOUT EMAIL.
Thank you for reading – I’m sure you’ll agree there’s an exciting future ahead for me and for all of the Nelson Bostock Group agencies.
With much love and best wishes,
Lee