WPP has announced the appointment of Brian Lesser as the new Global CEO of GroupM, the holding company’s media investment arm which houses the agencies EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker.
He will begin his new role in September 2024, succeeding Christian Juhl who is stepping down after five years in the role. Juhl will take up a new position with WPP as President, Corporate Development.
Lesser previously spent 10 years with WPP, having first joined the company with the acquisition of 24/7 Real Media in 2007. He went on to create the Media Innovation Group, building addressable advertising products and technology for GroupM, including one of the industry’s first data management platforms. In 2011 he founded Xaxis, the programmatic media buying platform which now forms part of GroupM’s media performance organization, GroupM Nexus. He was CEO of GroupM in North America from 2015 to 2017.
“Brian is one of the industry’s most highly regarded executives with a track record of success in data- and technology-driven marketing” said Mark Read, CEO of WPP, in a release. “GroupM, its agencies and its brilliant people are in many respects the engine of WPP. Brian not only knows GroupM inside-out, but also has a strong vision for the future of the business. We are delighted to welcome him back to WPP.”
After leading GroupM in North America Lesser joined AT&T as CEO of AT&T Advertising & Analytics, a $3 billion business today known as Xandr. He took on his current role as CEO and Chairman of data company InfoSum in 2020.
“WPP and GroupM are special organizations to me. I have experienced first-hand the culture of innovation and collaboration that leads to exceptional work for advertisers. I am thrilled to be rejoining GroupM as Chief Executive Officer. I look forward to building with my talented colleagues, collaborating with our industry partners, and investing with our fantastic roster of global clients” said Lesser.
Christian Juhl has led GroupM since November 2019, having previously held the same position at Essence, the digital media agency acquired by WPP in 2015. Under his leadership GroupM won notable assignments and played a critical role in WPP wins such as the partnership with The Coca-Cola Company. It has also simplified its structure, today serving its clients primarily through three media agency brands; media performance organization GroupM Nexus; and data product, service and technology company Choreograph.
“I would like to thank Christian for his contribution to the success of Essence, GroupM, WPP and our clients over the last nine years. He has built a strong foundation for the ongoing transformation of GroupM, the integration of its offer, and accelerated future growth. I look forward to working with him in his new WPP role” said Read.
As President, Corporate Development for WPP, Juhl will work on various aspects of the company’s strategic development.
“It has been a privilege to lead this amazing business, to work alongside its incredibly talented people, and to partner with our wonderful clients around the world. We’ve achieved a huge amount together and I’m really proud of the progress GroupM has made towards its mission of making advertising work better for people. After five years the time is right for a fresh challenge, and I’m excited to get started in my new role with WPP. Brian is an exceptional leader and I’m happy he is rejoining the GroupM family” said Juhl.
GroupM currently manages more than $60 billion in annual media spend on behalf of its clients.
Featured Image: Brian Lesser / GroupM