True North has announced that it has appointed The Chase’s creative director, Alan Herron, to team up with co-founder of the business Ady Bibby as joint creative director.
Herron, who joined The Chase five years ago, is set to take up the post at the Manchester-based agency later this month. Prior to working at The Chase, Herron had been a director at London consultancy Giant.
The appointment follows a year-long search by Bibby and managing director Martin Carr for someone to join forces with the agency, as it continues to make its mark on the creative community. both in the North and beyond.
Commenting on the appointment Bibby said: \"We’ve been looking for the right person for a good while now.
\"We’re a very healthy, yet still quite young, business and we knew we needed the very best person to help take True North to the next stage.
\"From our first conversation with Alan we realised we had the right man for the job. Creatively, he is as good as it gets, everybody knows and respects both him and his work and, what’s more, he’s a fantastic guy. I can’t wait to work alongside him.\"
Herron added that he was looking forward to the move. He commented: \"I wouldn’t have left an agency with the pedigree of The Chase for just anyone,\" he remarked. \"It’s a tough move to make, but I’m in absolutely no doubt that it’s the right one.\"
The departure of Herron will undoubtedly come as a blow for The Chase, which in recent times has undergone much change with the departure of brand strategy and business development director Simon Farrell and the loss of their biggest account, Co-operative Financial Services.
Managing director of The Chase, Ben Casey, said of the news: \"We are, of course, very sorry to see Alan leave and I for one will miss his sense of humour. We have a very low turnover of staff and when they do leave they normally head to London, so this was a bit of a surprise. We are currently reviewing what our next step is.\"