Our Vision

Michael joined VCCP on its first day of business in 2002, becoming Managing Director in 2006, CEO in 2012 and VCCP Partnership CEO in 2018. Michael is also responsible for VCCP New York. In recent years VCCP has built itself a reputation for business transformation as evidenced by O2, comparethemarket.com, EasyJet, Nationwide and Cadbury.

Michael started his career at Claydon Heeley before moving to HHCL. During his career he’s been privileged to work on brands such as O2, Google, Microsoft, Telefonica, T-Mobile, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Formula E and Macmillan among others. The proudest part of his career is being part of the team that has built VCCP from an idea to a 1,000-strong agency in 8 offices around the world.

Michael is also a Director for the charity Health Improvement Project Zanzibar and the start up Different Dog. Outside of work & family Michael has raced motorbikes across the Sahara, raced on foot to the magnetic North Pole and led expeditions across the Himalaya, Andes and Tanami desert.

Darren started his career at WCRS creating award-winning work for Speedo, funny work for Butterkist, and launched Sega Dreamcast across Europe. He then moved to DDB London. But not for long. Next was a seven-year stint at Mother. Pimm’s, ITV Digital, PG Tips, Schweppes, Magic FM and Yellow Pages were all hits.
 
In 2008 Darren moved to be the creative lead of VCCP with the desire to create more famous and much loved advertising that populated culture.
 
VCCP’s comparethemarket.com launched in 2009 and is still the nation’s favourite campaign. He encouraged everyone to ‘be more dog’ for O2. Nationwide Building Society lets the nation speak about the issues that matter most with our ‘Spoken word’ work. And more recently he’s put Cadbury back in the nations hearts with ‘there’s a glass & a half in everyone’. The Cadbury work is rolling out around the world to great effect. 

Maggie qualified at KPMG whilst working on advertising clients. She left KPMG to join a privately owned agency called Clark & Taylor Plc as its Finance Director where she stayed for eight years until the agency was sold to AMV/BBDO. Following that, Maggie joined Chime as Finance Director of its advertising and marketing services division, AMS. She then moved to VCCP in 2006 as joint Finance Director when the company had 200 employees.

In July 2012 Maggie became Group CFO and now oversees all things Financial, HR, Legal, Facilities and IT as well as overseeing the finances of VCCP’s International offices.

Maggie is a Fellow of the IPA and is Honorary Treasurer of the IPA. She spends any spare time playing Candy Crush much to the disgust of her 6 year old daughter!

Michael joined VCCP in 2003 as its 26th employee after a varied previous life working in the music industry and for The Football Association. He was lead strategist for some of VCCP’s most famous award-winning government advertising for the Department of Health (Sexual Health) and Home Office (anti-binge drinking), and carved an outstanding new business record including pitch wins for Hiscox Insurance, Hyundai and easyJet. He was appointed Head of Planning in 2008 and helped VCCP secure its first ever Agency of the Year title in 2009, for Marketing magazine.

In October 2012, after a brief stint at AMV BBDO, he was lured back to VCCP as our Executive Planning Director, with strategic responsibility across the entire VCCP Partnership. Michael works across a number of accounts including Canon, TfL and easyJet, playing a key role in easyJet’s commercial transformation which led to the Marketing Society awarding easyJet a record 5 prizes including Brand of the Year and Long-Term Marketing Excellence.

He has a degree in Social and Political Sciences from Cambridge University.

David started out in advertising at Young and Rubicam, working on accounts such as Heinz Baked Beans, British Gas, Smirnoff, Royal Navy & Royal Marines Recruitment and Legal and General. After seven years he went to McCann-Erickson where he became a Managing Partner of the London office for nine years and won and ran clients such as Esso, Bacardi, Coca-Cola and the Irish Tourist Board, as well as working on Nestle, CGU and Bacardi.

He then joined Lowe worldwide for five years, where he was the Global Business Director on Nokia and Electrolux before joining VCCP, where he is the Group Managing Director. He is married and has three teenage children.

David went to the University of Durham where he studied Greek & Roman Civilisation, Russian Studies and Anthropology.

Jo started off training as a speech therapist but was introduced to the world of marketing and decided that was where her heart was. Following a couple of client roles, she moved agency side and after a few years joined a start-up which she was instrumental in building until sold to Chime when she became its’ CEO.

Jo is Group CEO of VCCP Business which includes a collective of four award winning  agencies and one of the fastest growing parts of the Group. She also works closely with and advises a broad base of clients in the UK and internationally. She is Group COO of parent company Chime and has chaired and led the Group’s youth board, its’ women’s network, Grapevine, and most recently its’ sustainability strategy.

A Trustee of Park Theatre in London, Jo is a member of the Women in Business board for the DofE and a member of WACL.