Bruce quits as WTS regroups

Wickens Tutt Southgate director Duncan Bruce has quit the consultancy. WTS chief executive Paul Southgate and Bruce himself both deny he was asked to resign.

Bruce is the latest in a string of staff leaving the consultancy. Southgate admits to seven leaving in the past three months, “ranging from a couple who we didn’t want to leave, to five either fired or allowed to go”. He claims two new hirings are due in the next few weeks when the staff total will be 36, just two down on its peak.

Southgate says the consultancy is not in financial difficulties: “The banks are absolutely not pressuring us”. He adds: “We are in a healthy financial situation, trading profitably and there is more new business in the pipeline than we are capable of handling.”

Bruce, who joined from Holmes & Marchant in 1993 on a salary rumoured to be 140 000, was charged with developing new clients at home and abroad. Claims that the level of new business wins did not justify Bruce’s costs are vehemently denied by both Bruce and Southgate.

Bruce says: “I feel I have been very successful, positive and constructive at WTS. I will continue to work with WTS in a consultancy capacity.”

Southgate says Bruce will not be directly replaced. Some of his new-business work will go to account directors as part of the consultancy’s restructure.

Bruce now plans to set up a London-based consultancy, possibly with a US psychologist who is an expert on team development and company psychology and has worked with WTS and other design groups before.