Sharb Farjami, CEO of WPP Media North America, is leaving the corporate, in line with a workers memo obtained by ADWEEK.
Brian Lesser, CEO of WPP Media globally, will tackle direct management of the North America area whereas the corporate searches for Farjami’s successor. WPP Media’s regional government committee will report on to Lesser through the transition, with Farjami supporting the handover.
Farjami has led WPP’s media operations in North America since January 2024, after operating media company Wavemaker within the area. Primarily based in New York, he sat on the helm because the group went via a interval of transition, together with a rebranding and restructure in Could.
In a word to workers saying his departure, Lesser credited Farjami with serving to WPP Media win purchasers together with Adobe, Audible, and Johnson & Johnson and “guiding the rollout of our new working mannequin and model within the area.”
“Sharb’s management laid the muse for our success and was instrumental in our transformation,” Lesser wrote within the word. “He has been a tireless advocate for our purchasers and our enterprise. As a former CEO of North America, I do know firsthand the size of his contributions and the legacy he leaves. He can be missed. ”
“The previous 4 years at WPP Media have been a unprecedented journey marked by significant milestones with a outstanding workforce,” Farjami wrote in a press release. “I’m deeply pleased with what we’ve achieved and grateful to everybody who’s been a part of it. I’ll at all times be cheering on WPP Media in its subsequent chapter.”
The management shift comes throughout a pivotal interval for WPP Media. In Could, the media community rebranded from GroupM and restructured to extra carefully combine its businesses on the back-end. The information got here after a string of main account losses, together with Coca-Cola and Mars.
In August, the community had an enormous win when it unseated Carat to win Mastercard’s $180 million international media account, ending a decade-long relationship.
The management shift at WPP Media comes amid broader change at dad or mum WPP. Cindy Rose took the helm of the holding firm on Sept. 1, succeeding Mark Learn. In her first handle to workers, Rose acknowledged “a whole lot of exhausting work forward” however stated she felt “tremendous excited to co-create the brand new WPP collectively.”
In its newest earnings report, WPP introduced a strategic evaluate as its income dropped by 5.8%.
Beneath is the complete textual content of Lesser’s inside word to workers.
Workforce,
I’m writing you at present to share that Sharb Farjami is leaving WPP to pursue a chance exterior of a media company. I’m deeply grateful for the impression he’s had over the previous two years as CEO of WPP Media North America and, beforehand, as CEO of Wavemaker US. Efficient instantly, I’ll oversee North America as we start the seek for our subsequent North America CEO, with the regional government committee reporting on to me. Sharb will assist me throughout our interval of transition.
Sharb’s management laid the muse for our success and was instrumental in our transformation. From bringing in purchasers like Adobe, Audible, and Johnson & Johnson, to guiding the rollout of our new working mannequin and model within the area, he has been a tireless advocate for our purchasers and our enterprise. As a former CEO of North America, I do know firsthand the size of his contributions and the legacy he leaves. He can be missed.
I imagine the longer term holds even better alternatives for us, due to the work that has already been performed, and I’m excited for what we are going to accomplish collectively. I look ahead to working much more carefully with our US and Canada management groups as we construct on the momentum Sharb helped create.
Please be a part of me in wishing Sharb continued success in his subsequent chapter.
Brian
