Raoul de la Bedoyere, the planning director of Woollams Moira Gaskin
O’Malley until its collapse late in August, has resurfaced as a board
planning director at Bates Dorland.
The appointment follows a brief spell of six weeks as planning director
at Burkitt Edwards Martin.
De la Bedoyere, 36, said his decision to join and subsequently resign
from Burkitts was because he realised he would be happier in a
mainstream agency with major clients and resources.
‘I didn’t join Burkitts in a panic, I really believed it was the right
decision. I had been the planning director of a small agency before so I
thought it was what I wanted to do, and I fully supported Mike Court’s
appointment as creative director (Campaign, 17 November),’ he said.
‘But the downside of a small agency is that your best ideas are filed in
the bin, because the client base is so limited. Very quickly I knew I
had made a mistake.’
The agency chairman, Hugh Burkitt, who hired de la Bedoyere in November,
was philosophical about his departure, and is now seeking a replacement.
‘What can I say?’ he said. ‘Raoul turned out to be a virtual planner
because he was virtually never here.’
De la Bedoyere becomes one of five board planners at Dorlands, with
responsibility for Bass, Littlewoods and Spillers. He replaces Crawford
Hollingsworth, who has set up a research company.
De la Bedoyere said his decision to join the agency was influenced by
his respect for three key figures - the chief executive, Paul Twivy, the
executive creative director, Tim Ashton, and the head of planning, Les
Stern.
