WPP and GroupM announce the appointment of Brian Lesser as the new Global CEO of GroupM, the world’s leading media investment company.
He succeeds Christian Juhl, who is stepping down after five years in the role. Christian will take up a new position with WPP as President, Corporate Development.
Brian spent 10 years with WPP including as CEO of GroupM in North America from 2015 to 2017. He will rejoin WPP and begin his new role with GroupM in September 2024. Christian will continue in his existing role until then and support the transition as he moves to his new position.
Brian first joined WPP 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.
Also Read: Trevelino/Keller Acquires Marsden Marketing
After leading GroupM in North America he 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.
Throughout his career, Brian has been at the forefront of technological advancements in the media industry, from the advent of programmatic advertising to the rise of connected TV. He is known for challenging the status quo to deliver better consumer experiences and more effective solutions for businesses.
Christian became CEO of GroupM in November 2019, having previously held the same position at Essence, the digital media agency acquired by WPP in 2015. As President, Corporate Development for WPP he will work on various aspects of the company’s strategic development.
Under Christian’s leadership GroupM has grown significantly, winning notable assignments and playing a critical role in WPP wins such as the partnership with The Coca-Cola Company.
GroupM has also changed and evolved to reflect the new world. It has simplified its structure, today serving its roster of world-leading clients primarily through three media agency brands (EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker); media performance organization GroupM Nexus; and data product, service and technology company Choreograph. GroupM is the world’s leading media investment company, managing more than $60 billion in annual media spend on behalf of its clients.
SOURCE: GroupM