Ben Priest Resigns From adam&eveDDB

Ben Priest, group CCO of adam&eveDDB and the creative brains behind its award-winning John Lewis campaigns, has announced that he will be stepping down from his role and leaving adland in June this year. 

Priest co-founded adam&eve in 2008 together with James Murphy, David Golding and Jon Forsyth. Over the next five years, the shop quickly rose to prominence, culminating in a sale to DDB in 2012 which saw the founders pocket an estimated £100m.

Following the opening of a New York outpost in 2017, the founders handed over much of the day-to-day running of the agency to a new management team compromising CCO Rick Brim, Tammy Einav, Mat Goff and Alex Hesz. 

Priest created lauded campaigns such as John Lewis' Always a Woman 

Priest is the second of the founders to quit the business: Forsyth left adam&eve shortly after the founders had completed their earn-out from Omnicom. Murphy and Golding will remain in their positions as group CEO and chief strategy director respectively.

“In the ten years since James, David and I launched the agency, we’ve done more together than I ever dreamed possible. We have conquered all comers and produced work I’m so proud of, I know I’ll be boring my grandchildren about it in 30 years time," said Priest. "However, my mind has increasingly begun to turn to other, non advertising adventures and it’s these I shall be leaving to pursue. I also have a young family and would like to spend a bit more time with them.

"Winning (Campaign’s) Agency of the Year for the fifth time last December really made me feel like this would be the perfect moment to bow out. One thing that makes this change slightly easier is knowing I’m leaving the agency in great shape, under the leadership of our brilliant management team. We have also been so fortunate to have Rick Brim take over the creative leadership. He’s the best of the best and the work speaks to that.”