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. 

Michael Lee has been Chief Strategy Officer of the VCCP Partnership since 2013. He has played a major role in the dramatic growth of the agency to become the UK’s Number 1 agency, with an exceptional roster of clients including Cadbury, O2, compare the market, Walkers, Canon and easyJet. In January 2023, he was ranked the UK ad industry’s No.1 Strategist by the trade publication Campaign.

He has won numerous creative and effectiveness awards including the European Effie Grand Prix, and the Marketing Society’s Long Term Effectiveness Award for his work on transforming the commercial fortunes of easyJet. He now oversees a team of over 70 strategists across 8 offices worldwide, with a diverse range of skillsets ranging from brand strategy to data analytics and performance marketing.

Last October, Michael set up VCCP Stoke Academy as one of the co-Founders, a commitment to increasing awareness, create work experience opportunities and jobs in the creative industry in a part of the country where few opportunities exist for talented, creatively-minded young adults struggle to break into our industry.

He has spoken at numerous events including Cannes Lions, Contagious and MAD/fest on a wide range of subjects from innovation in the field of emotional response research to fostering a challenger culture through strong brand positioning. Michael is also an advisor for the BAME2020 initiative, and a guest lecturer for the Cambridge University Judge Business School.

He is currently Chair of the APG, the organization that represents strategists and planners across the marketing industry and runs the prestigious APG Creative Strategy Awards. His mission is to increase the social diversity of entry level planners and also broaden the APG’s membership to include the diversifying career paths of strategists into client, tech and PR businesses.

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.