Remembering Dame Annette King

The passing of Dame Annette King has prompted the advertising industry to pause and reflect. She meant a great deal to so many, both as a leader and as a person, and was a rare presence: a fiercely driven leader who inspired enormous loyalty in the people around her.

Tributes are being shared from across the industry, and rightly so. But those closest to her in work and in life are best placed to describe why she was so valued, and why her loss will be felt so keenly.

Here, some of the people she cared about most share their memories of her impact and the space she leaves behind.

More than a leader, she was a friend, mentor, and confidante- someone who could inspire loyalty with a joke, a fierce pep talk, or simply by listening. From turning up to pitches dressed as a British Airways stewardess to celebrating her team’s wins with laughter and Picpoul, Annette’s energy, humour and humanity left an indelible mark on everyone she worked with. And on the industry itself.

Read on for a trail of unforgettable stories and cherished memories from those who knew her best.

Natalie Wilkinson. Activation & Integration Lead, UKI for Accenture Song

I had the pleasure of being by Annette’s side for seven years but I have known her for more than 20. Aren’t I lucky to have so many memories?

She trained me, I learnt from the absolute best.  Annette taught me to trust my instinct, speak my mind and always ask for a pay rise.

My boss, my mentor, my drinking buddy. - I promise to make her proud. The industry just lost an icon, but I have lost one of my best friends.

My heart is broken but this week I channel her - stay on my comms plan, stay close to who I loved.  HEAD UP, SHOULDERS BACK, ONWARDS.

Sue Frogley, Group CEO of Talon

Annette was not only an exceptional leader and mentor, but also a dear friend to me over many years. 

As my boss, she always had my back. I will never forget the time I had to confront an important client about some very poor behaviour toward our teams. Annette stood virtually shoulder to shoulder with me and said, “If they fire us, Sue, then good riddance. We deserve better”. That was Annette: she always did the right thing, no matter what.

We were in touch just over a week ago, chatting about my holiday and my son’s upcoming wedding. That was Annette too, she genuinely cared about the people around her and what was happening in their lives. She will be forever in my heart, and this is a terribly sad moment for all of us who were lucky enough to know her.

Mel Edwards, former global CEO of Wunderman

What can I say? Dame Annette King was one of a kind, they don’t make them like her anymore. Her impact across the advertising industry was profound, she made things happen and made things better. She was someone that made an effort with everybody, irrespective of seniority.

To me she was just Annette, my friend. Someone who was loyal, smart, kind and fun to be around. I would have happily gone into battle with her or stood alongside her at the bar. I will miss her enormously as I know so many others will.

My heart goes out to Henry, Carter and Sylvie who were her heartbeat and that makes me truly sad.

Fly high my beautiful Annette ❤️

Charlie Rudd, CEO of Publicis UK Creative Practice

How on earth can I say a few words about Annette?  It seems an impossible task to sum up such an amazing force and what she meant to me with just words.  

But here goes.

She gave me my first CEO opportunity when she hired me to Ogilvy’s ad agency in 2016.  The biggest draw was not in fact the chance to be a CEO; nor to work in the new Sea Containers offices - nice as they were.  It was the chance to work for Annette King, the formidable, brilliant, serial winner who we kept pitching against when I was at BBH.  She was the Ogilvy legend who I knew I needed to learn from.

We went on to have a lot of success together at Ogilvy.

But then very unexpectedly she left and went to Publicis.  I was irritated.  I never thought she was allowed to leave.  That wasn’t part of the plan.  

And I wasn’t ready to stop working with her.

Fortunately, she then hired me at Publicis to run Leo Burnett.  I did no background work at all on Leo’s before taking the job because all that mattered to me was that I got to work for Annette again.

We went on to have a lot of success together at Leo’s.

But then very unexpectedly she left and went to Accenture Song.  I was irritated.  I never thought she was allowed to leave.  That wasn’t part of the plan.

And I wasn’t ready to stop working with her.

And now she’s very unexpectedly left again.  And she’s left all of us.  And I’m more than irritated again.  I never thought she was allowed to leave.  That wasn’t part of the plan.  I’m not ready to stop working with her.

We talk a lot about leadership in our industry. Annette was the very best of leaders. She gave you space to do your thing.  I remember her telling me we don’t need regular catch-ups (“What would they be for?”). But I also always knew that if I needed to talk to her about anything, I could just send her a text and she’d respond within minutes. Normally seconds.

Thank you Annette for the opportunities you gave me. It’s very hard to believe you won’t be able to respond to my texts and you won’t be there to offer me advice.  But I’ll try to make sure all that you taught me will live on in my leadership approach.  You smashed it, boss.

Fiona Gordon, global CEO of Advertising, Ogilvy

We were so lucky to have Annette in our lives - she had the rare gift of making each and every one of us feel seen, encouraged, and capable of so much more than we thought possible.

She was a firecracker - lighting up a room, imaginations, ideas - all because she cared passionately about people and our business.  She loved our clients, was super charged by a full-on new business scrap and truly wanted make her mark and change the industry she loved for the better. 

And oh how she did - not just in the big things with creating a powerhouse at Ogilvy One and then Ogilvy , and reshaping industry bodies, but also in the immeasurable impact she had on so many in our industry.  As a boss, as a mentor, as a competitor and as a friend.

She was the fiercest loyal friend - always there when you needed her most, working away on your behalf to make it better and clearer.  Nothing drove her on as much as seeing people progress both professionally and personally and she was zealous in making you her project!

Through it all she had the most wonderful team in her family to support her - with the very best co-navigator in Henry.  She was so proud of all they have achieved as a family and so proud of her many dear colleagues, industry peers and cherished friends.   

I will miss her immensely  - and will raise a glass of Chardonnay to celebrate our glorious Annette and a life lived so richly. One where she would cry in fury with you when we lost and then a few hours later have us all cry with uncontrollable laughter.   Dame Annette truly was one of a kind.

Mark Read, former WPP CEO and chair of Kantar Media

Annette was a fantastic leader. She pushed herself and she pushed her teams, always with a real desire to win. She’d go above and beyond to make that happen. There’s the well-known story of her turning up to the BA pitch dressed as a British Airways stewardess — pure Annette: committed, creative and always there for the clients.

She worked across Wunderman, Accenture, and Publicis and had a broad view of the industry, but her heart was very much at Ogilvy. She cared deeply about the people there and stayed in contact with them. She’ll be missed by many, but especially by the Ogilvy family.

Annette also embraced the new. Coming from a Wunderman and OgilvyOne background rather than the classic brand-agency route, she understood different disciplines instinctively. In many ways, she embodied the kind of leader David Ogilvy wanted to create — someone who could span disciplines and see the full breadth of what marketing could do for clients.

Her impact at Ogilvy was significant. Under her leadership, the agency secured three major account wins — Boots, Vodafone and BA—big British brands that benefited from a tightly integrated proposition. She also led the move to Sea Containers, giving Ogilvy and WPP a home and bringing it out of the dreariness of Canary Wharf.

Annette made a meaningful mark on Ogilvy, on WPP, and on the industry. Her passing is a real loss — for me, for the industry, and for so many friends.

Karen Martin, CEO of BBH

Annette was an absolute gem of a human. She loved this industry more than anyone, and she cared for the people of this industry more than anyone. She loved the work, she was delightfully creative. She LOVED the fun, and my god did she create some fun. All of it exceptional, apart from that time she got us all hypnotized, ah no, she even made that fun. One of my first few meetings with Annette was when she'd broken her foot from extreme fun at her massive 50th party, I'd never been more impressed in my life.

She showed us all that you can be incredible at your job while being enormous craic, and that you could be really tough when needed as long as fairness came first. To me, this made her the most generous person in the world.

On Thursday night I spent the evening regaling my two daughters with some of my most excellent Annette memories and stories (swearing included) and her perfect use of liquid eyeliner. They agreed she was absolutely deadly. 

It’s bloody heartbreaking. 

Michael Frohlich, chief marketing and corporate affairs officer for WPP and Co-chair of The Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board

AK was a force of nature. I am honoured to have picked up the baton from her twice - succeeding her as CEO Ogilvy UK and now as chair of The Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board. I could never fill her shoes but I tried. We’ve lost a giant. Passionate, loving, brilliant.

2015 [see picture] We hopped on a speed boat to see what our new Ogilvy home looked like from the Thames. She was always the captain of every boat she was in!

Dame Cilla Snowball

Annette made an incredible and indelible contribution to the industry, achieving just about every career accolade possible. Leading large agencies, driving change, championing equality, supporting the creative industries, chairing trade bodies, backing people and building careers.  She was an absolute force of energy and impact ,and we all looked up to her, in awe. She got every gong going including her richly deserved damehood.

That’s the Annette most of us knew and saw – a formidable and fearless competitor at the very top of her game.

Those of us lucky enough to know her well saw the depth of her contribution as well as its breadth. Her kindness, her humour, her loyalty. Her dedication to family and friends. Her ability to show up as impressively in bad times as well as good. Her incredible courage in facing major health challenges – her own and those of others. Her determination to make everyone and everything better, happier and productive, be it a business opportunity or a friend in need. She was always there in the thick of it, improving things.

We bonded most closely towards the end of her life ;when she got her damehood, supporting an initiative to put the title to good use ; looking after the Dodds family after the untimely deaths of Mike and Clare ; talking through her decision to step down from the day job and go portfolio ; when the health challenges got too much .  She sought advice, but didn’t really need it. She always had a good plan and knew what to do.

Right to the end she gave us her all and her best.

To Annette , thank you, we love you and we will never forget you. To Henry, Carter and Sylvie, thank you for sharing her with us and we’ve got you.

Chris Mellish, CEO of TMW and co-lead of Accenture Song’s UK and Ireland marketing practice

Annette combined the fierce drive and competitiveness that all the titans of our industry have with something many others  don’t: humility and humanity. 

She felt like a friend from day one; we were on the same side. She cared about me and my team, and she wanted to ensure that we enjoyed ourselves along the journey. I’m forever grateful for the time and advice she gave me, especially after she withdrew from her role at Accenture. 

I feel lucky to have known her and worked alongside her even briefly. Our world and our industry will be worse off without her. 

Sohel Aziz, Managing Director, UK, Ireland and Africa at Accenture Song

Annette’s impact on our business was significant — but her impact on people was far greater.

She had a way of making you think better, aim higher, and care more deeply about the work. Her belief in creativity wasn’t theoretical; it was visceral. She was relentless in her passion for great work and fiercely committed to our clients, always pushing us to raise the bar.

Personally, I will miss her counsel, her clarity, and her quiet but unmistakable authority. She challenged with kindness, led with conviction, and never lost her sense of perspective or humour. She made you want to be better — and she made you believe you could be.

To Annette - a rare legacy.