TBWA\London Announces Departure of Raquel Chicorel

With sadness, respect and admiration, TBWA\London is announcing the departure of CSO Raquel Chicourel. She is leaving the agency to care for her daughter, who is in a high dependency unit of a London hospital for severe Anorexia.

She will leave the agency in May to help aid her daughter's recovery while also supporting the rest of her family.

Raquel has taken the decision to speak out about her reason for leaving so she can raise awareness of the issue of Eating Disorders and start a much-needed conversation on the subject, with recent research showing that they affect 24% of under-20s and have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder for under-18s.

During her time away, she will also devote time to fundraising for the two hospitals caring for her daughter: The Royal Free Hospital EDIS unit and the eating disorder charities supported by Ellern Mede Ridgeway.

Raquel, said, “Anorexia is a cruel, debilitating and life-threatening illness. It is not a vanity choice, it is not just an illness of the body. It’s a mental health condition with the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder for under 18s in the UK. But it doesn’t get the noise, understanding or funding it deserves.

"By being open about my reason for leaving, I want to start a vital conversation about this, because there will definitely be more people in this industry suffering than just me.
And if raising this issue now helps just one other person feel like they are not handling that suffering alone, then that brings some light to these darkest of times.
So, after a lot of deliberation, I have decided to take some time off to care for my daughter full time and be there for her and my family, as she begins her road to recovery.
I want to thank everyone at TBWA\London for making the past 18 months as brilliant as possible given all I was going through, and for the love and support I have received.”

​Larissa Vince, CEO at TBWA\London, added, “Raquel’s intelligence, passion, determination and desire to do great work and build brilliant platforms is exemplary. But she now has to go and focus on helping her daughter recover and being there for the rest of her family so they can support each other through this awful time. The fact that she wants to be open about the issue and use this as a point to start a conversation and raise awareness and funds to help others is just a testament to the brilliant person she is.”

Read more from TBWA\London here.