MEC UK Promotes Paul Hutchison to Chief Operating Officer

MEC has strengthened its senior team with the promotion of Paul Hutchison to chief operating officer of the UK agency, Stuart Bowden and Jason Dormieux, MEC’s joint CEOs announced today.

Responsible for MEC’s communications planning, activation and investment teams, Paul will look at the structure, relationship and process that connects all the services the agency provides.

Paul Hutchison said: “The opportunity to change the model of how we deliver paid media solutions to clients, to enable us to increase our focus on data-driven, owned and earned solutions is incredibly exciting. For the first time we’re joining up the leadership of comms planning, activation and investment, helping us to focus our resources at the elements of our client’s customer journey where they have the biggest impact on purchase decisions.”

Paul will look at relationships with media owners and third parties to ensure MEC is as open and accessible as it needs to be in an industry where success is based on collaboration. This will include involving third parties earlier on in the creation of owned, earned and paid (OEP) activation, to drive greater opportunities for innovative and effective client solutions.

Dormieux said: “Media agencies need to embrace the exciting opportunities that arise through the effective integration of OEP planning and activation. In Paul we have someone who has the talent and experience to ensure that we take full advantage of the exciting ways in which our market is developing for the benefit of our clients.”

Paul will continually look at opportunities and business models to ensure MEC stays at the forefront of a transforming market, pushing forward MEC’s mission to be its clients’ most valued business partner.

Bowden said: “Paul’s always had a client-centred view of the world. This makes him the perfect person to ensure we are designing our business to better anticipate and meet clients’ changing needs.”

The COO role was last held by Jason Dormieux until his promotion to joint CEO with Stuart Bowden last year.

Paul joined MEC as managing partner and head of comms planning in 2010 and was promoted to deputy MD in 2014. He joined MEC from Vizeum where he spent three years in an equivalent role and before that he was planning director at DLKW Lowe.