A bit of history

Simon Yardley has done most of the jobs in account management, including Head of Client Service and New Business Director. He started his career in marketing with Van den Berghs, one of the Unilever food companies. In his early days, he worked for Leo Burnett, then at McCann Erickson at a time when the agency was having unrivalled success. He followed that by a move to Davidson Pearce, was Managing Director there when it became a public company and he was appointed to the Plc Board, part of the team responsible for acquisitions for group expansion.

Simon has worked with some of the largest marketing organisations in the world, sustaining big brands, helping to launch new ones and breathing fresh life into old ones, in all sizes.

Virginia Creer started her working life in Unilever's Central Marketing Division, where she underwent their rigorous training in marketing and advertising. After a couple of years in Market Analysis she went to Cadbury Schweppes for a five year stint, where she moved through several brand management roles, including Pepsi Cola and Schweppes Mixers, to become Marketing Manager, working with JWT, BMP and TBWA as her advertising agencies.

Her first actual job in an advertising agency was as an Account Director at Grey, working on Procter & Gamble business. In 1980 she joined Davidson Pearce as an Account Planner, later becoming Executive Planning and Development Director. Thereafter she always functioned primarily as a Planner, within the agency management structure.

We (Simon Yardley and Virginia Creer) first started working together at Davidson Pearce. We worked across a number of high profile clients in fmcg, automotive, retailing, alcoholic drink, and luxury brands. Our experience includes successful new product development and a major public flotation.

In addition to developing campaigns for our existing clients, we became extremely successful in new business, helping to grow Davidson Pearce in just a few years from ranking around 20 in billings tables to 7.

When BMP Davidson Pearce was created out of a merger we become part of the combined management team. After a second merger, that saw the creation of BMP DDB, we continued in the agency's management as, respectively, Deputy Chairman and Managing Partner. Then, in 1990, we were asked to start the UK arm of a "second string" within DDB. That became BMP4, which we ran successfully and profitably for ten years.

In 2000 we moved out of advertising agency life to start YCP, a broadly based brand marketing and research consultancy. Businesses for whom YCP has worked include Abbey National, Allied Bakeries, First Quench (Threshers etc), ICI Paints, Marks & Spencer, and Pringle of Scotland.