Camilla and Lucy d’Abo, the founders of Edelman Dabo, and managing director of brand Jason Leavy are to leave “to pursue new opportunities”.
The move comes less than three months after the agency laid off about 20 members of its team.
On Thursday, Edelman announced the appointments of Jason Gallucci as Leavy’s replacement and Alex Apthorpe as director of brand experience and creative for Edelman UAE. Leavy had been with the 13-year-old agency for seven years.
Edelman acquired Dabo & Co’s public relations and experiential businesses almost two years ago in a deal that made the combined firm the largest in the UAE.
“The last two years have seen the successful integration of the two firms in the face of tough trading conditions and we would like to thank Camilla and Lucy for all they have done for us in that time. Their cultural and business leadership has been exceptional over this period, which is reflected in their amazing team and deep client relationships. We wish them the very best in their next endeavours,” said Bob Grove, chief operating officer of Edelman Asia Pacific Middle East & Africa.
“We leave a combined business that offers the very best integrated brand service in the market. Our teams and clients are in great hands. This is not a decision we have come to easily, but we both feel that now our commitment to Edelman is complete it is time we explore new opportunities,” said Camilla d’Abo.
Gallucci joins from London, where he held managing director roles at H+K Consumer, Piranha Kid and Slice, as well as being CEO of Lexis. He will oversee the Edelman Dabo team of 80, including PR, paid media, experiential, digital and creative.
Althorpe will run the Edelman Dabo experiential team, reporting to Gallucci. He was previously regional managing director of Jack Morton.
In February, the agency axed 20 members of staff. At the time, Edelman CEO Tod Donhauser told Campaign: “In response to the changing communications landscape, we are proactively transforming our business to drive increased efficiencies and effectiveness for our clients.”
