Ex-Grayling CEO joins Beattie Group

Alison Clarke, the former UK CEO of Grayling, has joined Beattie Group as chairman of its specialist marketing brand, Only Marketing.

Clarke, a former PRCA chair and CIPR president, served as CEO of Grayling UK and Ireland from 2011 to 2015.

Before that, she was Huntsworth Group’s business development director and Asia Pacific president of Weber Shandwick.

Clarke joins Beattie Group as chairman of Only Marketing – the group’s specialist marketing brand.

Her appointment follows hard on the heels of Kevin Roberts, the former global CEO and chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, joining as  chairman of Beattie Group.

Beattie Group has eight offices in the UK and trades under three headline brands – Beattie, a creative communications consultancy, 11ten, a student recruitment brand, and Only Marketing where specialist boutiques brands include Only Health, Only Retail, Only Tech, Only Student Recruitment and Only Crisis.

Roberts said of Clarke’s appointment: “We are building strong foundations for expansion at home and abroad and you can only achieve great things if you’ve got great people. Alison is a fantastic addition to our team.”

Laurna Woods, Beattie Group CEO,  (pictured left with Clarke) added: “We’re thrilled to have snapped up a second industry giant in the space of a month. Alison is one of the most respected PR leaders in Britain and her international reputation goes before her.

“We look forward to her working with us to grow the Only Marketing brand and landing some of the most sought after PR, creative, digital, content, media and data marketing accounts out there.”

Clarke added: “I’m excited about joining Beattie Group at a time when we are expanding across the UK and targeting English-speaking countries around the world.

“Beattie is a business with so much potential and I look forward to playing my part in growing the Only Marketing brand across specialist industry sectors including health, retail and technology.”