New Delhi: GroupM has eliminated global agency CEO roles across its key brands, marking a significant centralisation effort led by Global CEO Brian Lesser.
Under the new structure, agencies like EssenceMediacom, Mindshare, and Wavemaker will no longer have global CEOs.
Lesser, who returned to GroupM as global CEO in September, has been vocal about his vision to transform GroupM from "a collection of companies to one company."
GroupM has announced the appointment of Emily Del Greco as its new Global Chief Operating Officer (COO). Greco steps into this role from her previous position as a partner at McKinsey & Company, where she led the commerce media and advertising practice.
This appointment coincides with other leadership roles being filled or redefined, including Adam Gerhart moving from CEO of Mindshare to Global Chief Client Officer, Toby Jenner becoming Global Chief Business Officer from his role at Wavemaker, and Mark Patterson transitioning to Global President of Markets and Business Operations from his position as COO.
Gerhart will oversee major accounts and client engagement across all GroupM agencies globally. Jenner will drive the agency’s global development through growth, marketing, and cross-WPP integration projects. Patterson will oversee the agency’s growth markets in APAC, and LATAM as well as key investment, offshoring, and sports and entertainment initiatives.
Greco, who will report directly to GroupM CEO Brian Lesser, brings with her a wealth of experience in strategy and digital transformation. Her background includes roles at Google, most notably as the global head of data commercialisation, and at MightyHive as Americas President. Her appointment is part of a broader restructuring aimed at accelerating GroupM's evolution in the rapidly changing advertising landscape.
The restructuring is effective immediately, with Greco set to join GroupM next month.