Beau Jackson
May 8, 2025

History of GroupM 2003-2025: The world's largest media investment arm

Campaign charts the WPP media arm's history amid ongoing change under global chief executive Brian Lesser.

GroupM was founded in 2003 as a merger between Mediaedge:CIA and MindShare Worldwide.
GroupM was founded in 2003 as a merger between Mediaedge:CIA and MindShare Worldwide.

Since joining in September 2024, GroupM global chief executive Brian Lesser has wasted no time in shaking up the WPP media arm's leadership and its structure in favour of becoming a "simpler" offer both internally and to clients.

He kicked off 2025 by axing global agency CEO roles at EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker and departures followed, among them former GroupM EMEA CEO Josh Krichefski. 

In May this was followed by Campaign learning of WPP's intent to drop the GroupM brand to become "WPP Media", and an internal memo sent by Lesser confirming that GroupM will be moving to “a single operating model” in which agency brands house dedicated client teams “but no longer operate as distinct business units."

As change rumbles on at GroupM, Campaign looks back at the media arm’s history.

 

 

 
Source:
Campaign UK

Related Articles

Just Published

2 days ago

'Looking for the first domino': Titanium jury ...

In a wide-ranging interview, John explains how APAC work, like New Zealand’s stigma-smashing Grand Prix for Good and Ogilvy Singapore’s work for Vaseline, are setting the stage for global creative change.

2 days ago

John Wren on his vision for a bigger, better Omnicom

The chief executive tells Campaign why the IPG acquisition makes sense, what the impact will be and what will determine success.

2 days ago

Big ideas, not big algorithms, will win Cannes

At Cannes 2025, Adobe’s Shantanu Narayen and Publicis’ Arthur Sadoun unpacked why AI may power creativity—but humans still pilot it.

2 days ago

Campaign Cannes Global Podcast Episode 2

Our editors from the UK, US, Canada and APAC report from Campaign House at Cannes Lions 2025.