Keith Lacy has been appointed by the Japanese agency Dentsu to head up its Irish operations following the announcement that Liam McDonnell is about to retire. A former president of the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI), McDonnell has played a pivotal role in the development of Ireland’s media agency landscape over the last 30 years. McDonnell began his career in adland as a runner at The Media Bureau (TMB).
The agency was run by Michael Bowles and his colleagues at the time included Pat Donnelly, Steve Shanahan and Ruth Payne. McDonnell then moved to Des O’Meara & Partners, before assuming more senior roles at Saatchi & Saatchi and Irish International. He was later to team up again with Donnelly at All Ireland Media (AIM). In 2001, the Aegis Network purchased AIM and the business became part of the Carat global network.
Expanded
In 2005, after Donnelly’s exit from Carat, McDonnell was appointed to head up Carat. Vizeum was added as a sister agency and the business expanded further with the addition of Brindley Advertising and Lucidity. In 2013, Aegis was acquired by Dentsu. The group’s network now comprises iProspect, Isobar, Story Lab and Posterscope. Lacy, who is currently Dentsu Ireland’s MD, previously worked at in the Company of Huskies and Simply Zesty.
