New York: GroupM, the world’s leading media investment group, today announced the appointment of Lindsay Pattison as Chief Transformation Officer (CTO). She will lead change initiatives across GroupM and its agencies, and with other WPP companies will create tailored and flexible models that serve clients better in the extremely competitive business environment.
Pattison will lead a number of change programs to support group and agency structures, talent and leadership development, culture and diversity, as well as WPP’s horizontality strategy. She remains a member of GroupM’s global executive committee, reporting to Kelly Clark, global CEO of GroupM. Pattison also continues as CEO of GroupM agency Maxus and will perform both roles.
In her new role, Pattison will also focus on senior talent development to ensure GroupM and its agencies have a strong bench of diverse leaders who can help clients win in a very challenging marketing landscape. She will support WPP’s horizontality strategy by helping deliver the best of GroupM to key clients, together with other WPP companies, regardless of the client’s entry point to the group.
“Clients need us to think differently and work smarter,” said Clark. “Lindsay will help us deliver on those challenges. I’ve worked with her for many years. She’s a force, and holds the respect of clients and colleagues. She will make a huge impact with her smarts, energy and warmth.”
WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said: “GroupM and its agencies are key to WPP’s horizontality strategy. Lindsay will play a crucial role in accelerating our delivery of new and innovative service structures for clients.”
Pattison was named global CEO of Maxus in October 2014. She was previously Global Chief Strategy Officer and UK CEO for Maxus during a period in which it was the fastest-growing media agency worldwide. Her prior experience includes roles at Young and Rubicam, PHD Media and Sony Ericsson. Lindsay was named to Ad Age’s 2015 class of Women to Watch and served two terms on the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council focused on the Future of Media. In 2016, she launched ‘Walk the Talk,’ an initiative to help senior women at Maxus to thrive and progress in their career, a program now being adopted globally by WPP.
“When we look at the broader business context, the transformation we are experiencing is profound,” Pattison said. “The WEF calls it the ‘fourth industrial revolution,’ a technological revolution and one that requires two key skills to succeed: collaboration and agility. New thinking is required across the board, and I’m delighted to take on this new transformation role.”
