Search Menu The WPP Board The Board is collectively responsible for promoting the success of WPP by directing and supervising policy and strategy and is responsible to shareholders for the Group’s financial and operational performance and risk management. Roberto Quarta Chairman Appointed: 1 January 2015 (Chairman 9 June 2015) Nationality: Italian and American Skills and experience: Roberto has extensive and diverse experience in corporate governance and global commerce having served on the boards of a number of UK and international companies. His career in private equity brings valuable experience to WPP, particularly when evaluating acquisitions and new business opportunities. He is Chairman of Smith & Nephew plc, a Partner of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Chairman of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Europe. Previously he was Chief Executive and then Chairman of BBA Group plc, Chairman of Rexel SA, Chairman of IMI plc and a Non-Executive Director at BAE Systems plc, Equant NV, Foster Wheeler AG and PowerGen plc. External appointments: Chairman, Smith & Nephew; Partner, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice; Chairman, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Europe. Mark Read Chief Executive Officer Appointed: 3 September 2018 Nationality: British Skills and experience: Mark has a deep understanding of the industry having held multiple leadership positions at WPP since he joined in 1989. As Head of Strategy and then CEO of WPP Digital he was responsible for WPP’s first moves into technology. In 2015, he became Global CEO of Wunderman, which he transformed into one of the world’s leading creative, data and technology agencies. Earlier in his career, he co-founded internet start-up WebRewards and specialised in media and marketing as a principal at consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton. Mark was voted the industry’s Most Influential Person of 2019 in Econsultancy’s Top 100 Digital Agencies report and was recognised as a HERoes Champion of Women in Business in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Mark has an MBA from INSEAD and an Economics degree from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and was a Henry Fellow at Harvard University. External appointments: Chairman of the Natural History Museum Digital Council. John Rogers Chief Financial Officer Appointed: 3 February 2020, Chief Financial Officer from 1 May 2020 Nationality: British Skills and experience: John has extensive finance, strategy, digital, property and retail experience. He joined WPP from J Sainsbury plc where he was Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury’s Argos. John was previously the Chief Financial Officer of J Sainsbury plc, responsible for business strategy, new business development, Sainsbury’s Online and Sainsbury’s Bank, in addition to its core finance functions. John is a member of The Prince’s Advisory Council for Accounting for Sustainability. He also sits on the Retail Sector Council, which acts as a point of liaison between the UK Government and retail sector. External appointments: Member, The Prince’s Advisory Council for Accounting for Sustainability; Member, Retail Sector Council. Nicole Seligman Senior Independent Director, Non-Executive Director Appointed: 1 January 2014 Nationality: American Skills and experience: Nicole is a global business leader and an internationally recognised lawyer. She brings to the Board analytical skills, in-depth knowledge of public company corporate governance and a comprehensive understanding of media and business issues. Nicole was previously President of Sony Entertainment, Inc. and global General Counsel for Sony Corporation. Prior to that, as a partner at law firm Williams & Connolly, Nicole represented key public figures and major media and other companies in complex litigation. She is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School. External appointments: Non-Executive Director, ViacomCBS Inc.; Non-Executive Director, MeiraGTx Holdings plc; Non-Executive Director, Far Peak Acquisition Corporation. Angela Ahrendts DBE Non-Executive Director Appointed: 1 July 2020 Nationality: British and American Skills and experience: Angela brings expertise as a leader of creative and technology-driven global businesses. From 2014 until 2019, she was Senior Vice President, Retail at Apple, Inc., where she integrated and redesigned the physical and digital global consumer experience. Angela was CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014, where she repositioned the brand as a luxury high-growth company and created the Burberry Foundation. Prior to Burberry, Angela was Executive Vice President at Liz Claiborne, Inc. and President of Donna Karan International, Inc. Angela was a member of the UK Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council from 2010 to 2015. External appointments: Non-Executive Director, Ralph Lauren Corporation and Airbnb, Inc.; Chair of Save the Children International; Non-Executive Director, Charity: Water and The HOW Institute for Society; member of the Global Leadership Council of the Oxford University Saïd Business School and BritishAmerican Business International Advisory Board. Jacques Aigrain Non-Executive Director Appointed: 13 May 2013 Nationality: Swiss and French Skills and experience: Jacques has extensive business, corporate finance and governance expertise. He was a Senior Advisor at Warburg Pincus LLP from 2001 to 2009. Jacques was a member of the Executive Committee of Swiss Re AG and CEO from 2006. Prior to Swiss Re, he spent 20 years with JPMorgan Chase. Jacques was previously Chairman of LCH Clearnet Group Ltd from 2010, a Director of the Qatar Financial Centre Authority and a Supervisory Board Member of Lufthansa AG and Swiss International Airlines AG. He holds a PhD in Economics from Sorbonne University and an MA in Economics from Paris Dauphine University. External appointments: Chairman, LyondellBasell NV; Non-Executive Director, London Stock Exchange Group plc; Chairman, Singular SAU (private company); Chairman, ACUTRONIC Holding AG (private company); Non-Executive Director, Clearwater Analytics (private company). Sandrine Dufour Non-Executive Director Appointed: 3 February 2020 Nationality: French Skills and experience: Sandrine brings substantial financial expertise gained in global companies and strong strategic capability to the Board. She has executive leadership experience in the telecommunications, entertainment and media industries and an enthusiasm for cultural, technological and business transformation. Sandrine is currently Chief Financial Officer of UCB, a global pharmaceutical company. Previously she was CFO of Proximus. She held a number of leadership roles at Vivendi, in France and in the United States, across its entertainment and telecommunications business. Sandrine began her career as a financial analyst at BNP and then Credit Agricole in the telecoms sector. She has held other non-executive director roles, most recently at Solocal Group. External appointments: Chief Financial Officer, UCB. Tarek Farahat Non-Executive Director Appointed: 11 October 2016 Nationality: Brazilian and Egyptian Skills and experience: Tarek has extensive leadership and brand-building experience gained in leading businesses in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. He worked for Procter & Gamble for over 26 years, his last position as President of Procter & Gamble Latin America and member of the Global Leadership Council. Tarek was previously Chairman of the board of JBS S.A. and a board member of Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation and Alpargatas. Tarek is currently a strategic advisor, consultant and partner for companies in the consumer goods, Fintec and healthcare sectors. Tarek is a graduate of the American University in Cairo, Faculty of Commerce and Finance. External appointments: None. Tom Ilube CBE Non-Executive Director Appointed: 5 October 2020 Nationality: British Skills and experience: Tom brings a wealth of expertise as a technology entrepreneur. He is the founder and CEO of Crossword Cybersecurity Plc. From 2010 to 2014, Tom was Managing Director of Consumer Markets at Callcredit Information Group. Prior to Callcredit, Tom founded and was CEO of Garlik, a venture capitalbacked identity protection company. His 30-year career in the UK technology sector includes roles at Egg Banking plc, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Goldman Sachs and the London Stock Exchange. He was made a Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by City, University of London, an Honorary Doctor of Technology by the University of Wolverhampton, an Honorary Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford and an Advisory Fellow at St Anne’s College. In 2017 Tom topped the Powerlist ranking of the most influential people of African or African Caribbean heritage in the UK. External appointments: Founder and CEO, Crossword Cybersecurity plc; Chair, Iternal Limited (previously known as Deathio Ltd); Founder and Chair, African Gifted Foundation. Chair, The Rugby Football Union (RFU). Cindy Rose OBE Non-Executive Director Appointed: 1 April 2019 Nationality: British and American Skills and experience: Cindy has extensive experience as a leader in the technology and media sectors and a deep understanding of the role of technology in business transformation. She was appointed President of Microsoft Western Europe in October 2020, prior to which she was Microsoft UK CEO from 2016. She previously held roles as Managing Director of the UK consumer division at Vodafone and as Executive Director of Digital Entertainment at Virgin Media. She also spent 15 years at The Walt Disney Company, ultimately as Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Disney Interactive Media Group. Cindy is a graduate of Columbia University and New York Law School. External appointments: President, Microsoft Western Europe; Member of the advisory board of Imperial College Business School in London; Member of the advisory board of McLaren. Sally Susman Non-Executive Director Appointed: 13 May 2013 Nationality: American Skills and experience: Sally brings expertise in communications, public affairs, governance and strategy. She is Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Pfizer and also heads Pfizer’s corporate responsibility group. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, Sally was Executive Vice President of Global Communications at Estée Lauder, where she directed global corporate affairs strategy and served as a member of the Executive Committee. She previously held several senior corporate affairs posts at American Express, in both London and the United States. She started her career in government service where positions included Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Sally has a BA in Government from Connecticut College and has studied at the London School of Economics. External appointments: Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Pfizer; Co-Chair, International Rescue Committee. Keith Weed CBE Non-Executive Director Appointed: 1 November 2019 Nationality: British Skills and experience: Keith has a wealth of experience as a marketing and digital leader and an understanding of the ways in which technology is transforming businesses. From 2010 to 2019, Keith was Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Unilever, a role that included creating and leading Unilever’s sustainability programme. Keith was named the World’s Most Influential Chief Marketing Officer by Forbes in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and Global Marketer of the Year 2017 by the World Federation of Advertisers. He received The Drum’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and was inducted into the Marketing Hall of Fame in 2019. Keith is a Non-Executive Director of J Sainsbury plc. External appointments: Non-Executive Director, J Sainsbury plc; Trustee Director of Business in the Community; Board Trustee Grange Park Opera; President of the UK Advertising Association; President of the Royal Horticultural Society; Board Trustee, Leverhulme Trust. Jasmine Whitbread Non-Executive Director Appointed: 1 September 2019 Nationality: British and Swiss Skills and experience: Jasmine’s experience spans marketing, technology, finance, media, telecommunications, and not-for-profit organisations, and she brings this breadth of perspective and knowledge of many of WPP’s client sectors. Jasmine began her career in marketing in the technology sector, including with Thomson Financial in the US. After completing the Stanford Executive Program, Jasmine went on to hold leadership roles with Oxfam and Save the Children, starting in 1999 in West Africa and, from 2010-15, as the first Chief Executive of Save the Children International. Jasmine was a Non-Executive Director of BT Group plc from 2011 to 2019 and Chief Executive Officer of London First from 2016 until March 2021. External appointments: Chair of the Board, Travis Perkins plc; Non-Executive Director, Standard Chartered plc; Non-Executive Director, Compagnie Financière Richemont SA; Visiting Fellow, Oxford University. Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang Non-Executive Director Appointed: 1 January 2021 Nationality: Chinese Skills and experience: Ya-Qin is a world-renowned technologist, scientist and entrepreneur with a particular understanding of the changing consumer technology landscape in China. He was President of Baidu Inc., the global internet services and AI company headquartered in Beijing, between 2014 and 2019. Prior to joining Baidu, he held several positions during his 16-year tenure at Microsoft, both in the United States and China, including Corporate Vice President and Chairman of Microsoft China. Ya-Qin is currently a Non-Executive Director of Fortescue Metals Group, AsiaInfo Technologies Limited and ChinaSoft International Limited. He is also Chair Professor of AI Science at Tsinghua University and the founding Dean of the Institute for AI Industry Research at the same university. External appointments: Non-Executive Director of Fortescue Metals Group, AsiaInfo Technologies Limited and ChinaSoft International Limited; Chair Professor of AI Science at Tsinghua University and the founding Dean of the Institute for AI Industry Research at the same university; Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Use of cookies on WPP.com (NL) This website uses cookies, some of which are necessary for the operation of the website and some of which are optional and designed to improve your experience. Using this tool will set a cookie to remember your preferences. You can review the cookies we use here. 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