WPP Media reorganisation: Key appointments
WPP Media has reorganised its leadership team to better align with CEO Brian Lesser’s vision to streamline operations across what was, until earlier this year, GroupM.
The company has operated under one profit and loss statement since the spring, when it was revealed that GroupM was “sunsetting” agency job titles amid a consolidation of agencies under the WPP media buying arm.
Since then, agencies including EssenceMediacom, Wavemaker and Mindshare have no longer operated as distinct businesses.
Nevertheless, WPP Media has retained its agency names as “client service brands” with “dedicated client teams”.
The leadership reshuffle largely reflects those changes by reassigning the titles of those agency CEOs, amid other alterations. The majority of ex-agency leaders will now simply be referred to as “WPP Media president”.
For instance, EssenceMediacom UK CEO Natalie Cummins will now go by that title, although she is still tasked with leading EssenceMediacom clients.
It remains unclear how the consolidated structure will manage client conflict.
Meanwhile, Nick Adams, previously WPP Media’s head of data strategy, has additionally been promoted to senior leadership as UK president for Choreograph. He will be tasked with leading the roll-out of WPP Open and Open Intelligence to clients.
WPP Media UK CEO Kate Rowlinson said the group’s ambition is “clear”: “to have our strongest talent working directly with clients — entirely focused on driving growth and opportunity for them in new and innovative ways”.
She added that the changes are intended to “remove as much bureaucracy and operational burden as we possible can”, so that “our teams, powered by AI, can deliver for clients”.
The changes come just weeks after new WPP CEO Cindy Rose began her tenure, succeeding Mark Read.
Among improving the company’s declining share price, Rose will be tasked with making its AI proposition and the supposed efficiencies it offers a credible proposition to a market that has expressed some scepticism over WPP’s claims.
She must also work to create a more positive staff culture following months of uncertainty and widespread lay-offs. The holding group has slashed 7,000 jobs in the past year.
Who are the new WPP Media UK leaders and what are their titles? Here are the key changes.
Natalie Cummins, president
Cummins was named UK CEO of EssenceMediacom last summer after spending more than a decade at Publicis Groupe. She was CEO of Zenith from 2018 to 2024.
She will continue leading EssenceMediacom clients.
Jon Stevens, president
Stevens joined WPP Media at the start of the year as chief growth officer. Like Cummins, he had spent the majority of his career at Zenith, working in various executive roles, most recently as managing director, clients.
In his new position, Stevens will retain his remit as growth lead on an interim basis while also leading Wavemaker clients.
Jem Lloyd-Williams, chief strategy officer and president
Lloyd-Williams has been CEO of Mindshare since 2019. Before WPP, he was CEO of Dentsu agency Vizeum, which merged with iProspect in 2021. Earlier in his career, Lloyd-Williams worked in various roles at WPP agency MediaCom.
While continuing to look after Mindshare clients, Lloyd-Williams has been appointed chief strategy officer for the group, leading a team of strategy executive vice-presidents.
Victoria Appleby, president
Appleby has been CEO of T&P (previously T&Pm) since the start of the year. She was previously Channel 4’s head of sales from 2022 to 2024. Much of her career before that was spent at MediaCom, although she also briefly worked client side as UK head of media at Coca-Cola.
In her new role, Appleby will continue looking after T&P clients.
Kelly Parker, chief media officer
Parker has been CEO of Wavemaker since 2022 and previously worked as its chief operating officer. Before WPP, Parker held various positions at MPG, Havas Media and OMD.
She is one of the few leaders to be given an entirely new remit under the restructure. As chief media officer, Parker will oversee a new Media Management and Delivery (MM&D) division.
Simon Willis, chief investment officer
Willis has been GroupM’s chief investment officer since 2020, having joined the business in 2012, initially as trading director. Earlier in his career, he also held roles at MEC, Mindshare and PHD.
The chief investment officer role now sits under Parker’s MM&D division.
Nick Adams, UK president, Choreograph
Adams has been promoted to UK president of Choreograph, WPP’s global data products and tech unit. He joined GroupM in 2022 as vice-president (and later head) of data strategy.
Before WPP, Adams held data marketing and strategy positions at Diageo, Oliver and Iris.
Luke Bozeat, chief operating officer
Bozeat has been chief operating officer since 2023.
He has worked at WPP since the turn of the century, spending more than 22 years at MediaCom, including as managing director and chief operating officer, before moving up to group level.
Jacinta Brennan, chief people officer
Brennan joined as chief people officer in April.
She has worked in various HR roles in the media and tech sector since the 1990s, including at Yahoo, Kantar Media and Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
Mike Nichols, chief finance officer
Nichols has been chief financial officer since June 2024.
Before the promotion, he was global CFO of GroupM Nexus from 2022 to 2024. Nichols has been at WPP since 2014 in various finance roles.
Before WPP, he spent more than seven years at PwC.
