Newly merged internal communications specialist MCA Banner McBride
has completed a second round of job cuts.
Eight staff were made redundant last week, bringing the total number of
redundancies to 14 since WPP bought MCA in July and merged it with its
existing internal comms operation, Banner McBride.
In the previous round of cuts, three months ago, Banner McBride axed six
jobs, including marketing manager Luciana Palmisano. The latest cuts are
mostly consultants, including associate consultants Jonathan Dee, Jon
Summers and Tessa McDaid. This leaves a 36-strong UK operation.
The merger has also led to the closure of MCA's London base at Portman
Square, with staff being relocated to Banner McBride's offices in Drury
Lane and Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
According to the agency's client director Jacqueline Conway-Gebbie, the
cuts have been made as a result of the merger and the economic
downturn.
She said: 'We have no information as to whether those who have left have
found work. In the first phase we lost mostly those whose jobs doubled
up, like Luciana's, and support staff. This stage has been more
consultant-focused.'
The agency's website is now being updated and a rebrand is expected to
take place later this year - this is expected to include a name
change.
The merger of the two companies has brought MCA's New York and Stockholm
offices under the MCA Banner McBride umbrella, giving WPP a global
presence in the internal comms sector.
MCA Banner McBride is headed by former MCA chairman Kevin Thomson - who
has become president - and Kathy Whitwell, MCA group MD - who has become
CEO. Banner McBride MD Michael Punsford quit when the merger went
through (PRWeek, 13 July).
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