Laurent Ezekiel Takes Top Job at Ogilvy as Devika Bulchandani Moves to WPP

One week on the job and CEO Cindy Rose is already making massive strikes at WPP.On Friday (Sept. 5), the holding firm introduced that Ogilvy world CEO Devika Bulchandani will tackle the position of chief working officer (COO) at WPP, filling a place left vacant final week by longtime firm veteran Andrew Scott.Taking up Bulchandani’s position at Ogilvy is Laurent Ezekiel, who may also undertake the title of government sponsor for WPP Open X, the holding firm’s bespoke company for The Coca-Cola Firm. Ezekiel will likely be succeeded as CEO of Open X by Floriane Tripolino, world consumer lead at WPP overseeing the Nestlé account. The strikes come one week into Rose’s tenure as CEO. The previous Microsoft exec was appointed to the highest job in July after Mark Learn introduced his departure in June. Her first day was Monday, Sept. 1. In a press release, she stated the appointments “underscore WPP’s dedication to delivering unparalleled worth and innovation.”“Devika’s deep obsession with serving to our shoppers develop and win will assist us speed up our development throughout the complete WPP panorama. Laurent’s shut, profitable partnership with The Coca Cola Firm and creation of WPP Open X offers him priceless perception and expertise to assist navigate the wants of our largest shoppers, a lot of that are housed in Ogilvy,” she continued.  As COO, Bulchandani will oversee WPP’s nation managers, development groups, and consumer leaders to drag collectively bespoke options throughout the holding firm for shoppers. “I really consider that after we seamlessly convey collectively WPP’s world-class capabilities, we turn into an invincible pressure–one which unlocks unparalleled worth for our shoppers,” she stated in a press release.Ezekiel will likely be accountable for Ogilvy’s world enterprise throughout promoting, PR, social and affect, buyer engagement, consulting, and well being. That features Gray, which moved from beneath AKQA to Ogilvy in Could. “The way forward for Ogilvy is vivid, and I’m thrilled to be part of writing the subsequent chapter of selling historical past with our groups and shoppers,” he stated in a press launch.A brand new period for WPP  As Rose takes the helm, she’s beneath stress to show round WPP after a troublesome few years. In its newest earnings report, WPP reported a income drop of 5.8% and introduced a strategic assessment of the enterprise.   A part of that plan is making certain ongoing robust management at Ogilvy, which laid off 5% of its world workforce, or roughly 700 workers, in June, in addition to defending and rising WPP’s relationship with Coca-Cola, after the holding firm misplaced its North American media enterprise to Publicis earlier this yr. “These leaders embody the strategic imaginative and prescient and inventive excellence that outline WPP,” Rose stated. “Their collective experience will play a vital half in serving to me drive WPP to our subsequent section of development and making certain our shoppers proceed to win in a quickly evolving market.”