Duffy leaves Holmes & Marchant

Andy Duffy, creative director at Holmes & Marchant Group’s packaging arm Holmes & Marchant International, has left the consultancy less than a year after his appointment.

“Andy was comparatively inexperienced [in the role of creative director] and on his part and ours, it was a gamble which didn’t work out,” says H&MI managing director Peter Morrow. He adds: “The job proved to be more complex and demanding than Andy anticipated. We would have been happy for him to stay with the company in another role.”

Duffy’s responsibilities have been assumed by Gerry O’Dwyer, who was promoted from creative director to design director when Duffy joined the consultancy in September 1995.

Morrow denies that the consultancy is going through a restructure. “We’re doing what any other business does from time to time – reviewing what we offer and how we offer it,” he says. “Certainly, structural design is one of the areas we’re strengthening, along with our new product development offer, but we’re not losing sight of our core offer of brand development,” Morrow adds.

Duffy’s future plans are unknown; he was unavailable for comment as Design Week went to press. However, he has been in discussions with Smith & Milton Original with a view to joining the consultancy.