Ogilvy One, Ogilvy’s specialized customer experience (CX) and engagement powerhouse, has announced a new leadership team in the UK, with Charlie Ryder and Alan Makepeace appointed as Managing Directors and Ed Turner as Head of Strategy. The trio will work alongside Executive Creative Directors Angus George and Johnny Watters to further evolve Ogilvy One’s unique approach to customer acquisition, service design, continuous commerce, CRM, and loyalty.
Speaking on their new roles, Ryder and Makepeace emphasized their commitment to redefining customer engagement. “Ogilvy One UK is on a mission to push the boundaries of what’s possible. We’ve seen a phenomenal appetite for our data-powered, creatively driven approach. We’re partnering with some truly inspiring brands, crafting meaningful experiences that resonate with customers and drive real results. We can’t wait to see what we accomplish together.”
Ed Turner, newly appointed Head of Strategy, echoed their sentiments, highlighting the importance of consistency in customer experience. “Whether it’s a shop floor, loyalty program, or mobile app—what holds true is that commercially valuable, lifelong customer relationships are built on consistently delivering positive experiences. We have great clients, big ideas, and bucketloads of momentum. I can’t wait to join this super-talented bunch.”
James Murphy, CEO of Ogilvy UK, described Ryder and Makepeace as natural choices to lead the agency into its next phase. “Charlie and Alan’s expertise, energy, and passion made them the ideal leaders to build on the momentum that the brilliant Clare Lawson has given Ogilvy One.”
Ogilvy One: Designing Meaningful Customer Relationships
Ogilvy One has been at the forefront of CX and relationship marketing, leveraging creativity, data, and technology to create personalized and impactful brand interactions. The agency offers a range of services, including Customer Acquisition, Service Design, Continuous Commerce, CRM, and Loyalty. These offerings are underpinned by a unified global technology backbone powered by Verticurl, the leading marketing technology services agency acquired by Ogilvy in 2013.
With a team of approximately 3,800 specialists worldwide (statistics as at 2024), Ogilvy One provides expertise in strategy, creative and design, UX/UI, data, media and performance, platform integration, creative technology, innovation, and AI. The agency currently partners with some of the world’s most iconic brands, including IBM, Mondelēz, Nestlé, Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, Verizon, and Enterprise, as well as numerous regional and local clients.
Expanding Footprint in Sub-Saharan Africa
In January 2025, Ogilvy One officially launched in Sub-Saharan Africa, bringing its next-generation services to a growing market in need of innovative customer engagement solutions. With approximately 100 specialists in the region, the agency integrates digital creative, digital media, applied marketing science, experience design, artificial intelligence, and tech services to redefine customer relationships.
Its suite of MarTech products, including Feed 2.0 (a real-time social intelligence platform), InfluenceO (an influencer marketing tool), OBrio (a media intelligence platform), and Optimus (a marketing automation solution), empowers brands to leverage data and technology for enhanced engagement and performance measurement.
The Future of Customer Engagement
The rapid investment in marketing technology (MarTech) has allowed companies to scale their relationship marketing efforts. However, many brands still struggle to create distinction and customer relevancy. Ogilvy One was built to address this challenge by placing creativity at the center of data-driven marketing strategies, ensuring brands foster long-term, meaningful connections with their customers.