McCann Manchester Appoints Simon Buchanan and Richard Aldiss as Joint MDs

McCann Manchester has appointed Simon Buchanan and Richard Aldiss as Joint Managing Directors of its business as part of its strategy to continue to drive long term growth. Both will report into agency Chief Executive Sue Little.

Simon Buchanan takes on the role of Joint Managing Director responsible for the agency’s Aldi business and Richard Aldiss takes on responsibility as Joint Managing Director for the agency’s main client base including Smyths Toys, Harveys, Shire, CrossCountry Trains and cottages.com.

Simon Buchanan joined McCann in 1997 as a Managing Partner from Navigator and during his time has led business for brands as wide ranging as Durex, Britannia Building Society, Co-operative Bank, The TTA, The COI and Barclays Bank. He assumed responsibility for the Aldi account in 2008 and has overseen a period of continual success in terms of Aldi and agency growth.

Richard Aldiss’s career with McCann stretches back over twenty five years when he joined McCann Birmingham as a trainee media planner. In 1999 he joined McCann Manchester as a Media Group Head. Stints in senior account management roles running business including Holiday Inn, Npower and London 2012 saw him promoted to Managing Partner in 2016.

Commenting on the appointments, McCann Manchester Chief Executive Sue Little said, “Simon and Richard bring an immense amount of experience to their respective roles and have been key forces in our success over the past few years. I am confident they will continue to drive the future growth we are looking for and it is testament to our business that we have made both appointments from within the organisation.

“As an industry we face ongoing change and ever shifting client needs and our goal is to shape the agency to meet those needs now and for the future.”

Simon Buchanan commented, “The success of our business is down to the incredibly talented team we have at McCann Manchester and it is a real honour to have worked with and grown with them over the years. As a business we’ve enjoyed significant success in recent years and I’m looking forward to working with Sue and Richard to chart a course for continued growth in the years ahead.”

Richard Aldiss commented, “Simon and I have worked together on numerous areas of the business over the years so this is very much a natural evolution for both of us. We have a strong business, fantastic clients and great people and driving the business forward with Sue and Simon is a challenge I’m really looking forward to.”

McCann Manchester, part of McCann Worldgroup, employs more than  350 people at three sites, Bonis Hall, Pyx Studios and McCann Connected in Manchester City Centre.

Image left to right: Richard Aldiss, Joint Managing Director; Sue Little, Chief Executive; Simon Buchanan, Joint Managing Director