Mass Exodus? CMO Laurent Ezekiel Leaves WPP as Coca-Cola, Mars, Paramount Shift to Publicis

Laurent Ezekiel, who serves as WPP's Chief Marketing Officer and CEO of Open X, is leaving the company to return to Publicis Groupe, where he previously worked for 16 years. Although his new role at Publicis has not been disclosed, Coca-Cola's Global CMO, Manuel "Manolo" Arroyo, confirmed Ezekiel's departure in an internal memo.

Ezekiel initially joined WPP from Publicis in 2019 as the global CMO and later took on the leadership of Open X in 2021. His appointment was significant following WPP's major win with Coca-Cola, where he played a key role in developing a tailored agency model to unify various services like creative, media, production, social, and influencer marketing.

Strategic Shifts and New Leadership

The leadership transition at WPP comes amid challenging times for the company. Earlier this month, WPP issued a profit warning due to reduced client spending and increased competition in securing new business. CEO Mark Read will step down in September, with Cindy Rose from Microsoft set to assume the CEO position.

Despite Ezekiel's exit, WPP remains committed to its collaboration with Coca-Cola. In May, Coca-Cola reaffirmed its broader relationship with WPP by highlighting strategic initiatives such as Studio X—a production hub designed for creating localized marketing content at scale.

Impact on Agency Networks

Ezekiel's return to Publicis follows several recent account realignments that favour his new employer. In March, Coca-Cola shifted its North American media business from WPP to Publicis as part of a $700 million consolidation effort. Additionally, Mars appointed Publicis to manage its $1.7 billion global media account.

Manuel Arroyo commended Ezekiel for his pivotal role in "architecting" Open X and establishing an "integrated, agile modern marketing team" composed of talent from various WPP agencies worldwide. A spokesperson from WPP confirmed that a successor would be announced soon.

Ongoing Changes in Marketing Services

The changes within agency networks reflect the evolving landscape of marketing services as they adapt to meet client demands in an increasingly integrated and performance-driven era. Paramount also made a similar switch to Publicis for its media account.

Ezekiel's departure highlights the ongoing transformations within the industry as agency networks strive to align with client needs more effectively. These shifts underscore the dynamic nature of the marketing services sector today.