Blaney: why I’ve decided to move on

‘I feel I’ve done as much as I can do in my advertising career,’ McCannBlue boss says of her shock exit

Orlaith Blaney is stepping down as chief executive of McCannBlue – and leaving the ad industry Picture: Feargal Ward

In a move that has stunned the advertising industry in Ireland, McCannBlue’s exuberant chief executive Orlaith Blaney has announced she is leaving not only the company, but also the industry.

Blaney was made managing director of McCann Erickson when she was 32 in 2003.

The 45-year-old guided the firm through a merger with Belfast advertising agency AV Browne’s Dublin digital arm, BlueCube in July 2013, after which the company was renamed McCannBlue, with ...