Oath CEO Tim Armstrong among potential WPP chief candidates
Oath chief executive Tim Armstrong is reportedly one of the candidates being considered to replace Sir Martin Sorrell at WPP.
Oath CEO Tim Armstrong
Sorrell, left the role earlier this year after 32 years steering the company to become one of the largest in the advertising industry. He departed after an unspecified "allegation of personal misconduct”.
The Financial Times is touting Armstrong as one of the execs in for the role. He is likely placed alongside other candidates on a list curated by executive recruiting firm Russell Reynolds which is leading up the new hire. The report also name dropped Unilever CMO Keith Weed.
Armstrong headed up AOL before Verizon snapped it up in 2015 for $4.4bn before merging it with Yahoo to create media brand Oath.
On the other hand, there appears to be some internal candidates jostling for the top job at the network. In its 2016 annual report, WPP said succession planning was underway and a pool of internal and external candidates had been identified. These include Mark Read, global chief executive, Wunderman, Lindsay Pattison, chief transformation officer, WPP, Karen Blackett, UK country manager, WPP and Johnny Hornby, chairman and chief executive, The&Partnership.
WPP boasts 200,000 staff across some 400 businesses across some of the industry's biggest agencies and silos.
Earlier this week 73-year-old Sorrell revealed that he is not quite done with the ad industry yet. He has vowed to "start again".
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WPP
WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It was...
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Oath
Oath Inc. is a subsidiary of Verizon Communications that serves as the umbrella company of its digital content subdivisions, including AOL and Yahoo!. Verizon acquired...
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