The Annual 2006: Top 10 CEOs

Bogle has entrepreneurial spirit and a true business brain. He's extremely hard-working and he expects the same from his staff. He has stuck to his vision for Bartle Bogle Hegarty and has built one of the greatest ad agencies of all time.

2. STEVE ALLAN, Group M

Having built MediaCom into one of the biggest UK buying operations, Allan has first-hand experience of business success. This gives clients, present and future, absolute faith in his ability.

3. JOHNNY HORNBY, Clemmow Hornby Inge

Hornby combines two traits that rarely come together in adland: he's a workaholic that likes to have a laugh. Hornby never gives up, even if the odds are stacked against him, he's never unavailable for a business call and he will never say non to a cold glass of rose.

4. JAMES MURPHY, Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R

Murphy came of age in 2006. Few thought he'd be able to hack it at the helm of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R when he took up the role in 2005, but he's proven all his doubters wrong. The agency is the only network outpost in the UK that is truly thriving. All eyes are focused on what his next move will be.

5. JONATHAN STEAD, Rapier

Stead is a very canny operator. He runs one of the most successful direct agencies in the UK, and also owns almost all of the equity. He's a quietly spoken individual, and has an extremely trustworthy and reliable air, something that evidently has appeal to a wide client community.

6. MARTIN BROOKS, Agency Republic/Zulu

Brooks is Omnicom's UK golden child. He has been given free rein to build the holding company's digital and direct operation, having earned his credentials through the success of Agency Republic. Brooks possesses a certain gravitas, something that many of his digital contemporaries seem to lack.

7. FARAH RAMZAN GOLANT, Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Ramzan Golant has a lively manner. She's much sharper than her predecessors at AMV BBDO, and has no time for sentimentality. This ruthlessness has seen her maintain AMV's status as the UK's biggest agency, while rival network agencies have suffered decline.

8. MARK LUND, Delaney Lund Knox Warren & Partners

Lund runs one of the most successful agencies in the country; he is known to have turned down many approaches for big jobs in big networks. Instead, he prefers being master of his own ship, and having the freedom to treat his people with respect.

9. NIGEL JONES, DraftFCB

Few brains in adland can match that of Jones. He's excellent with numbers, has an unassuming manner and demonstrated, while at Claydon Heeley Jones Mason, that he's a new-business magnet. His through-the-line credentials mean he's well qualified to meet the current vogue for integrated thinking.

10. PHIL GEORGIADIS, Walker Media

One reason why Georgiadis is so good at his job is that he enjoys it. He's a passionate industry spokesman and a keen networker. He runs a happy ship at Walker, something that keeps staff loyal and talent in place.

This article was first published on Campaign