LONDON — Publicis Groupe UK has appointed Chris McCafferty as the new CEO of MSL London, replacing James Parsons.

Parsons, who has led MSL London for the past five years, decided to move on from the 200-strong PR agency earlier this year and leaves this month. In the interim, MSL London strategic development director James Warren will lead the agency as GM until McCafferty's arrival in September.

McCafferty (pictured) founded Karmarama’s PR agency, Kaper, in 2010, and was part of the team that sold the Karmarama business, spanning brand strategy, advertising and mobile as well as PR, to Accenture in 2016. He is currently managing director of Accenture Interactive’s Experience Agency. He was previously a director at Shine Communications, and also previously served as head of PR and corporate affairs at MSN.

Reporting to Publicis Groupe UK CEO Annette King and global CEO Guillaume Herbette, McCafferty will work with MSL’s leadership team and other agencies within the group with the aim of accelerating MSL’s growth in the UK.

King said: “We are delighted to have Chris on board. With his experience in collaborating closely across specialisms to ensure data driven PR and activation in a digital world, he will be brilliantly positioned to helping drive the Power of One model in the UK. I would like to thank James for his commitment and outstanding service at MSL London. He has been instrumental in the success of the agency and we wish him all the best in the future.”

Publicis Groupe UK is made up of over 5,500 employees and 31 agency brands within four hubs: Publicis Communications, Publicis Media, Publicis Sapient and Publicis Health. MSL has more than 2,300 people across 100 offices worldwide.