WPP’s Wavemaker – the product of merging MEC and Maxus – has appointed Josep Hernandez as global managing director, L’Oréal.
Based in the Wavemaker Paris office, Hernandez will lead the agency’s relationship with the global L’Oréal clients based in France. He will report directly to Wavemaker Global chief client officer Aaron Smith.
Hernandez has been the senior director of global media strategy and communications planning at Mondelēz International since 2012.
Prior to that he held various leadership roles at WPP within Wunderman, Y&R and Ogilvy, particularly in New York, but also in the London, Madrid, Barcelona and Los Angeles offices.
“Client centricity is a key strategic shift for Wavemaker, and with more than 20 years’ experience in media strategy, brand planning, insights and digital transformation across agencies and advertisers, Josep brings all the seniority and expertise we need to deliver for our largest global client,” Smith said.
“He has led some of the most successful marketing cases not only in Cosmetics but also in CPG with Danone, Nestlé and across other sectors such as technology and finance, for Microsoft and Citibank, and we are incredibly happy to welcome him back to WPP and Wavemaker.”
Hernandez added: “Having spent the last five years as a client, I have experienced first-hand the challenges advertisers face today. The industry requires new agency models that are agile, transparent and scalable, turning data and smart tech into first mover advantages across media, commerce and content strategies.
“Wavemaker’s ambition, its obsession with the purchase journey and its laser sharp focus on client relationships will give the agency and its clients a genuine competitive edge in a highly competitive and constantly changing environment.”
Last June GroupM, the investment arm of WPP, announced it was merging the global operations of its agencies MEC and Maxus, with Jason Dormieux taking on the role of UK CEO.
GroupM’s portfolio will now comprise three global media agency networks – Mindshare, MediaCom, and Wavemaker – each with more than one billion dollars in annual revenues.
Wavemaker, a brand name which is already a division of MEC, will have offices in 90 countries and over 8,500 employees. Clients include L’Oréal, Vodafone, Marriott, Colgate-Palmolive and Paramount.
The new brand, along with a new identity, will go live locally as the merger completes in each country, to be finalised this month.
