Our Team

Mel
Cruickshank

CEO
Wunderman UK

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Anyone who has met Mel Cruickshank would describe her as driven, passionate about her work and down to earth—all qualities that will serve her well when she takes the reins as CEO of Wunderman UK later this year and becomes a member of the agency’s Leadership Board.

Noted in the industry and in the press for her candid and ‘effervescent’ commentary, Mel believes passionately in the power of CRM when delivered in a way that delivers a meaningful relationship for both the customer and the brand.  She believes this can happen even when speaking to 22 million customers—a topic she explored in her 2012 Campaign Magazine ‘The Year Ahead’ essay for the direct marketing industry.  
 
Mel comes to Wunderman UK from LIDA, part of M&C Saatchi, where she was CEO since 2009.  She oversaw the agency’s growth, doubling its profit through a combination of organic growth from clients such as Boots, MINI and DHL and new business wins.  

Her passion for creativity resulted in numerous creative honors, including six DMA Gold awards in 2011, a Gold award at the 2012 Caples and three entries into the D&AD Book, the most for any direct marketing agency this year.  Mel was named chairperson for the IPA’s Direct Marketing Group at the start of 2010 and developed a program of successful events bringing together leading creative directors from top U.K. agencies, celebrating and supporting creativity in the UK direct industry.  In addition, under her direction, last year Marketing Magazine named LIDA, Direct Marketing Agency of the Year and Campaign Magazine named it runner up.

Prior to LIDA, Mel worked in the U.K. for TBWA\GGT, Smith Bundy and MRM.

When not at work, Mel enjoys spending time with her family.  One of the many things they do as a family is spend time at the coast, for Mel it helps her unwind and stay ‘normal’.