Gary Leih

GARY LEIH

Chairman and Chief Executive, Ogilvy Group UK

Leih, 48, began his career at Ogilvy Cape Town in 1980 and progressed through the ranks there and later at Ogilvy Johannesburg (then South Africa's largest agency), rising to Group Account Director.

In 1989 he co-founded The White House which grew from nothing to become one of the country's hottest agencies. The White House won Agency of the Year awards in South Africa in '91, '92 and '93.

In 1994, Leih relocated to Australia where he worked at The Campaign Palace and Batey before setting up his own brand consultancy, Public Image, in 1999. Public Image was acquired by TBWA and Leih was Managing Director of TBWA Sydney for two years before returning to Ogilvy Africa in 2001 as Group Managing Director in overall charge of the agency's 1300 employees.

In May 2005, Gary moved to London to take up the role of Chairman and Chief Executive of the Ogilvy Group UK, one of the country's largest communications groups. He has since set the group on a renewed mission to offer clients genuinely integrated campaigns that combine the resources of the group's 11 operating companies to maximum effect. Recently acquired clients include Avis, Chiquita, The Glenlivet, easyJet, GSM Associates, Barclays Wealth Management and First Great Western Railways.