The sudden death of Melinda Eskell earlier this month left the communications industry bereft of one of its brightest talents. In today's AdNews, friends and colleagues say goodbye to a bold, brash and groundbreaking individual.
Clemenger BBDO executive chairman Rob Morgan describes her as a "radiator" who lit up the room. "The people who worked for her were 'moths to a light globe'," he writes. "She was loud, funny, energetic and like a whirling dervish when she entered the building – coats, bags and hair all flying."
Nicky Bell, chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, recalls her no-nonsense style: "Melinda didn't suffer fools and detested 'flabby thinking'. In fact, she would let fly with an array of wonderful sounds that let people know she was unimpressed.
"Loud sighs as researchers plonked down tomes of tedious research onto overhead projectors, or sharp intakes of breath and odd Tourette-like noises for people with lazy thinking. She expected a lot from us, but she was staunchly loyal to all of us (agency and clients alike) who fell under her spell.”
PepsiCo Global Beverage Group president Brad Jakeman writes: "It's hard to imagine the world without Melinda Eskell. I guess I always thought she was unstoppable. You always knew when she was in the building, well before you ever saw her. As my boss, she taught me that getting to 'great' was all about always challenging the rules."
Eskell was managing director of Ogilvy & Mather in the late '90s and general manager of Clemenger BBDO until 2004, before taking up global marketing communications roles for Unilever and Heineken. She headed up Amsterdam-based Strawberry Frog from 2010 to 2012 and in May joined PR group Weber Shandwick.
See today's AdNews, in print and on iPad, for the full feature with tributes and recollections from Morgan, Bell and Jakeman, as well as Max Gosling, Lynda Gray, Liz Ainslie, Christine Gardner, Rochelle Burbury, Tom Moult, Joy Clark, Naomi Parry, Lisa Miles and Roseanna Donovan.
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Have something to say? Send us your comments using the form below or contact the writer at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.