‘We’ve lost a giant’: Tributes paid after Annette King dies aged 57

Stevens thanked individuals for his or her condolences and spoke of King’s love of her work and the promoting business at massive.

“Nothing lit her up like being within the firm of the individuals she held shut,” he wrote. “Whereas it could be inconceivable to listing all of those that meant a lot to Annette over time, the companies she led and cherished can not go unmentioned. It was no secret how a lot Ogilvy meant to her. How proud she was of what she achieved at Publicis. And her delight at working alongside David Droga at Accenture Music. As Annette would usually say, it was three magical chapters throughout nearly 35 years that gave her a few of her closest pals and most cherished moments in life.”

You may learn his full assertion here.

King’s business profession spanned 35 years, 17 of which had been spent at WPP’s Ogilvy.

She joined Wunderman within the early Nineties which took her to its New York workplace earlier than she joined OgilvyOne in 2000. She would go on to turn into the company’s chief government in 2008 earlier than changing into the CEO of Ogilvy Group in 2014.

Liz Taylor, international chief inventive officer, at Ogilvy described King as “all coronary heart.”

She wrote: “Love and care had been her default setting, and the supply of the extraordinary pressure she was for everybody round her. What lit her up most was individuals – her purchasers, her groups, her friends – and he or she had that uncommon reward of constructing every of us really feel seen, supported, and able to greater than we thought attainable.”

Rory Sutherland, vice chairman at Ogilvy UK, mentioned she “embodied precisely the type of superb mass of contradictions which made her a uncommon pure match for our business.”

He went on: “Bizarrely, she had a splendidly abrasive persona, and but nearly everybody appreciated and revered her – besides maybe the poor unfortunates who needed to compete together with her.”

In the meantime, Michael Frohlich, WPP’s chief advertising officer and former CEO of Ogilvy, described her as a “pressure of nature”. He added: “We’ve misplaced a large. Passionate, loving, good.”

MC Barker, international chief individuals officer at WPP recalled her first day in Ogilvy New York in 2002. “I used to be given the workplace area subsequent to Annette King. I may hear her via the wall, she was fierce, she was passionate, and he or she knew learn how to get colleagues and purchasers to comply with her. I used to be in awe of her (and barely scared!). Through the years, she got here to me for suggestions, so completely unaware of how she was instructing me a lot in regards to the business, about learn how to survive in New York and about learn how to construct lifelong friendships at work,” Barker wrote. “She trailblazed and broke down boundaries for different ladies within the business and spoke passionately about our craft driving innovation into every thing she touched.” 

Following her tenure at WPP, King went on to turn into chief government at Publicis UK, the place she stayed for over 5 years, main the group via the difficult integration to create the Energy of One mannequin.

In an e mail to staff, Publicis CEO Arthur Sadoun wrote that she was “one among a form.” 

He mentioned: “Passionate, empathetic, and the straightest of straight talkers, she rose via business ranks at time when administration roles for ladies had been all too scarce. Over 30 years, her expertise, ambition and authenticity took her to the very highest ranges of management.

“At Publicis, she was one of many first pioneers of the Energy of One. In our second-largest market, she united Publicis Media, Publicis Communications, Publicis Well being and Publicis Sapient, throughout their completely different cultures and capabilities, together with her trademark braveness, empathy, and irrepressible humour. Nobody embodied our motto ‘no silos, no solos, no bozos’ higher than Annette. 

“She fought tirelessly for her purchasers, who in return confirmed her unwavering loyalty. And she or he fought for her groups, defending and pushing them to ever better heights. Annette believed deeply in cultivating the following technology of expertise. She backed individuals early, giving duty before most. Her affect can nonetheless be felt right now within the careers of so many leaders, at Publicis and past, who had been mentored and inspired by her.”

She left Publicis in 2023 and the identical 12 months she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for providers to promoting and the inventive industries. She went on to spend 18 months at Accenture Music, the place she served as the worldwide lead for its promoting observe, earlier than stepping down final February for well being causes. 

She was additionally chair of the Promoting Affiliation, and non-executive director and chair of Channel 4’s Remuneration Committee.

Paying tribute, the Promoting Affiliation mentioned King “was at all times beneficiant together with her time and experience.”

“She grew to become our chair throughout a interval of immense international and home uncertainty,” the group mentioned. “She helped steer the business via a ‘good storm’ of headwinds, expertly navigating the financial pressures introduced on by the battle in Ukraine, international provide chain points, and the price of residing disaster. Regardless of these challenges, she was at all times a passionate champion for the sector, persistently advocating for the ability of promoting to be a driver for constructive change and societal profit.”

King is survived by her husband and two kids.