GroupM to merge agency brands into single P&L

GroupM has announced to staff that agency brands will cease to operate as separate business units and will move to a single P&L, affecting jobs as soon as this week.

In an email seen by Campaign, sent from GroupM global chief executive Brian Lesser this evening (6 May), it said that the WPP media arm will “move to a single operating model” with “one voice in the market." 

The move includes evolving the role of agency brands to “house dedicated client teams, but no longer operate as distinct business units” with separate P&Ls. 

Agency-specific job titles will “sunset” and the group will move towards a “unified named structure that reflects our commitment to operating as one company."

The group's agencies include EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker.

Lesser’s announcement has come after it was reported that WPP would be dropping the GroupM name in the coming months to be rebranded as WPP Media, on which the holding company would not comment. 

In the email he said to staff: “While you may have seen speculation about our brands in the news, know that you can expect to hear about major business updates directly from me.”

The plan would include integrating Nexus and Investment into one department, called Media Management and Delivery, to “scale [WPP’s] core media activation capability."

Lesser wrote it would centralise functions to become “enterprise-wide teams” that operate in a “more consistent and deliberate manner, focused on our clients."

As part of the process, Lesser wrote they’ve had to make “difficult decisions” to “improve team structure and reduce overlap. This will affect some roles across our markets, and I wanted to inform you of this change myself. Impact will vary by market, with conversations beginning in certain markets this week.”

The goal is to complete the process globally by mid-year. GroupM confirmed the email but declined to comment.

Lesser has accelerated WPP’s plans to simplify GroupM since joining in September last year.

Speaking during WPP’s 2024 annual results presentation in January, he said: “We know that we have to be simpler and there is more work to do.”

He added: “We are further simplifying our structure to become a unified company with one voice to clients and partners.”

Lesser has axed global agency brand chief executive roles for media agencies EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker in a bid to further centralise operations.