The move, broken by Campaign earlier today, follows weeks of speculation in the industry that Lindsay was in talks with TBWA, where he worked early on in his career. Lindsay was one of four candidates in contention for the role, according to sources close to the situation.
He replaces Paul Bainsfair, who parted company with TBWA in March. At the time, TBWA insisted the departure was amicable.
Lindsay will report directly to Keith Smith, TBWA's international president. Smith said Lindsay's international responsibilities will be announced at a later date as the agency looks to offer a "much more integrated" positioning.
Smith said: "Tim is immensely capable and has an incredibly broad range of talent. He has always been associated with outstanding work, is well respected in the industry and by clients, and understands our values and culture.
"His extensive experience in the UK make him ideally suited for expanding our presence in the marketplace and his ability to forge powerful relationships with clients as well as to effectively incorporate a variety of marketing disciplines will be invaluable as we look to provide a much more integrated offering, particularly in the UK."
Lindsay said: "I am thrilled to return to TBWA and to have the opportunity to lead TBWA's presence across the UK and Ireland. TBWA has evolved dramatically over the past few years and the momentum that has been built throughout the network is a testament to Disruption and the agency's drive to create work that will redefine the future of the industry."
Tim joined Grey straight from University, before earning a series of promotions at TBWA and a newly formed Lowe Howard-Spink.
He later worked at BBH, where he spent nine years running the Levi's business and was appointed joint managing director.
In 1991 he joined Young & Rubicam London for two years before returning to Lowe Howard-Spink as managing director and then chief executive in 1994.
Lindsay joined Publicis as UK chairman in 2004 following a five-year spell at Lowe & Partners Europe, where he was president.
The move marks the latest in series of blows to Publicis, which is already without a chief executive and managing director. The senior management exits follow a series of account losses including its MFI and Post Office businesses. Publicis made more than fifty redundancies earlier in the year to offset the account losses.
For the full inside story see tomorrow's Campaign.
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