Kinetic UK chief executive Stuart Taylor to step down this year February 14, 2019 The chief executive of out-of-home advertising firm Kinetic, Stuart Taylor, will step down after six years in charge, the company said today. Taylor, who joined the WPP-owned agency in 2013, will be retiring as UK boss in June after steering the firm through a time of flux in the sector. Read more: Out-of-home adverts aren't [...]
Dentsu Aegis appoints UBS boss Volker Doberanzke as global president February 7, 2019 Dentsu Aegis today said it has appointed former UBS banker Volker Doberanzke as its global president of business operations. The newly-created role is one of the first major appointments made by executive chairman Tim Andree, who took over as chief executive at the beginning of this year after the retirement of Jerry Buhlmann. Read more: [...]
WPP sells stake in ‘Davos in the Desert’ consulting firm Richard Attias & Associates January 31, 2019 WPP today said it is selling its stake in Richard Attias & Associates (RAA), the consulting firm behind the so-called Davos in the Desert conference in Saudi Arabia last year. The advertising group said it will sell its minority stake in RAA back to existing shareholders as part of an ongoing plan to simplify its [...]
City Moves for 21 January – who’s switching jobs at Superunion, Opengamma and Aviva? January 21, 2019 Who’s changing jobs today? Superunion WPP global brand agency Superunion announced the appointment of Holly Maguire as UK managing director to drive the growth of its UK business. Holly will be responsible for managing key client relationships with the likes of Coca-Cola, IAG, Nestle, Tesco and Vodafone, and building the success of Superunion since its launch [...]
WPP mergers fall amid restructuring plan despite increase in deals across sector January 16, 2019 Advertising giant WPP saw its M&A activity halve last year, despite a rise in the total number of deals among marketing communication firms. WPP completed 15 deals in 2018, down from 30 the year before, according to research by Results International. Read more: Brexit, ad fraud and #MeToo – what does the future year hold for [...]
Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]
Do not succumb to the ‘Fat Cat Friday’ outrage January 3, 2019 As if Greggs’ vegan sausage rolls hadn’t prompted enough misplaced shock and outrage for the start of a new year, you can expect more of the same this morning when campaigners declare it to be “Fat Cat Friday”. The High Pay Centre, which opposes current levels of executive remuneration, calculates that by this afternoon a [...]
WPP to slash 3,500 jobs as it launches new streamlining strategy December 11, 2018 Advertising group WPP is cutting 3,500 jobs as it restructures the business and shifts its focus to technology in a bid to stave off competition from tech giants. WPP today said it will spend £300m over the next three years as it simplifies the business, aiming to make annual savings of £275m by 2021. The [...]
Sir Martin Sorrell fights hard to remain king of adland December 6, 2018 Sir Martin Sorrell channelled his inner Frank Sinatra recently and proclaimed that the success of his new venture S4 Capital would be “the best form of revenge” against WPP. “I want to build the best,” the businessman said of his new advertising outfit, which he previously called a “peanut” in comparison to the global scale [...]
Ogilvy names Piyush Pandey as new chief creative officer December 5, 2018 Ogilvy has appointed Piyush Pandey as its new chief creative officer following the dismissal of Tham Khai Meng over misconduct allegations. Pandey is currently the advertising agency’s chairman in India and has served at the company for over 30 years. He will retain his current duties in Mumbai and take over the new role on [...]