O&M becomes Ogilvy Advertising as conflict shop launches

Mather has opened in separate premises at Westferry Circus, close to the group's Canary Wharf headquarters, with three as yet unspecified clients. Steve Lepley, currently chief operating officer of Ogilvy & Mather London, is its managing director.

The advertising agency's UK-based rebrand comes 58 years after David Ogilvy helped launch Ogilvy, Benson & Mather in New York. Ogilvy went on to become one of advertising's luminaries via campaigns for the Hathaway shirt, Maxwell House and Dove soap.

Mather will officially launch in February, but the announcement was brought forward to coincide with the opening of the group's expanded office in Victoria last night.

Leih said: "Mather will be in a position to harness the best of the group's capabilities when it needs to, but will also enjoy the freedom to go out and find its own clients, develop its own brand and create its own positioning in the market as an independent shop."

In addition to the creation of Mather Communications, Ogilvy Group is launching another company called Ogilvy Engage, taking the number of companies in the group from 11 to 13.

Engage will serve clients wanting to outsource technical aspects of marketing communications. It will work closely with non-Ogilvy companies including data management and analytics specialist Teradata, call centre specialist Sitel, business performance management company Hyperion, and one of the UK's leading audit firms.

Fraser Watson, currently the managing partner of OgilvyOne London, will head Engage, reporting into Mike Dodds, managing director of OgilvyOne.

The agency's offices will still be branded as Ogilvy & Mather in international territories.

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