CPB carried out cuts with a ‘heavy heart’

Coley Porter Bell confirms that it made nine people redundant last Friday, including assistant creative directors David Booth and Tony Enoch.

CPB chairman Colin Porter says the job losses have left the consultancy with 45 staff. He says the cuts were made “with an extremely heavy heart”.

The end of a large packaging contract for a French supermarket chain coupled with a poor new business spell are blamed.

Senior creative John McCay is among the casualties, as are account handlers Heather Knight and Emma Lee Plunkett, plus new business staff Georgina Peck and Thom Newton. A secretary and a caretaker complete the tally.

The CPB board finalised the redundancies and a restructure of the consultancy last Thursday. Porter says details of the restructure are not being released: “It will take place over the next few weeks and months.”

Efforts were made to find jobs elsewhere within parent group WPP for the redundant staff, but nothing has come of this yet. Porter says he is confident that all or most of the redundant staff will find work quickly: “They are very good people.”

Of the future for CPB, Porter says: “There are great signs for the future and we are very optimistic. We have a very strong team.”