NEXT MARTIN SORRELL
John Tylee looks at some potential candidates to become WPP’s next chief executive and asks what qualities are needed to lead the world’s biggest marcoms group
At some point, we all leave our jobs. The question is when.” And so Roberto Quarta, chairman of WPP, set the hare bolting.
The subject of who will succeed Sir Martin Sorrell, 71, as chief executive of the world’s biggest marketing services company has been on the burner for more than a decade now. Now Quarta has turned up the heat. Whether Sorrell resigns “tomorrow, in one, two, three, four or five years, or even over a longer period we have already begun to identify internal and external candidates who should be considered. Shareowners should have no doubt that we already have a strong pool of internal and external candidates to draw from.”
So who? An adlander? A financier? A Brit? A woman? Campaign asks around.
SIR MARTIN SORRELL
of business, I take it personally. It’s very much part of me.”
BOB WILLOTT
“Finding Sorrell’s successor is going to be a real challenge. That person will not only need the entrepreneurial flair Sorrell has always demonstrated but will be somebody with proven experience in managing large organisations with so many disparate divisions.
“The danger is that you find a very efficient corporate manager who doesn’t understand the creative nature of the business. The kind of person WPP needs is very rare. Some will claim there’s no difference between running one big company and another. But there is. Look how long it has taken Interpublic to return to good health. And you wonder what will happen to Publicis Groupe and Omnicom when their charismatic leaders, Maurice Lévy and John Wren, depart.
“What’s more, Sorrell’s successor will have to be somebody who can maintain the highlevel client contacts that he does. That person will already have to be very experienced in dealing with big clients.”
KEITH HUNT
within several divisions, whoever succeeds Sorrell will need to be able to communicate with and win the support of these different groups. It would be difficult for an internal appointee, who will be tarred with the brush of whatever part of the company they come from.
“At the same time, WPP remains a prolific acquirer of companies and it’s unlikely that somebody from an advertising background has much experience in M&A activity.
“Also, Sorrell is different from the leaders of other major marcoms groups because he has positioned himself as a commentator on the global economy. Recruiting somebody who could take over that role would be an enormous challenge.”
STEVE GOVEY
“Remember that WPP grew out of a company making supermarket trolleys, so it’s vital that Sorrell’s successor can continue to grow what Sorrell has built and do it through team-building on a global stage.
“Sorrell has created a global business and continues helping his clients do likewise.
“It’s also important to remember that WPP is a service business even more than a creative one and that whoever replaces Sorrell will need to have a huge amount of fiscal experience.
“That means WPP shouldn’t be limiting its search to somebody with good experience of the creative industries. Simply looking for a high-flyer at the top of Interpublic would be unwise. Adaptability is going to be much more important. Maybe Sorrell should write his own job spec.”
MAURICE LÉVY
“Sorrell’s successor? It could be a man or a woman in their late forties or early fifties who is strategic, a visionary, somebody who understands clients’ issues and the need for transformation. They need to be a leader – charismatic, a good operator and a team player. And they need to be driven. Experience in advertising, media and digital would be appreciated.
“I would add that whoever succeeds needs to be a good human being – not wicked and nasty, generous and not greedy, sharing and not selfish or egotistical.”
KIERAN QUINN
“Obviously, we support proper succession planning that gives boards the time needed to find the right candidate.
“We believe all recruitment processes should be transpar-