'We know that we have to be simpler': Brian Lesser lays out GroupM plans

Brian Lesser, global chief executive of GroupM, laid out his five-point strategy for the media arm during WPP’s annual results presentation. 

The investor event on Thursday (27 February) followed the release of WPP’s 2024 results, which showed that revenues less pass-through costs fell 1% to $14.45 billion (£11.4 billion) in 2024, at the lower end of its forecast. GroupM grew 2.7% but the creative agencies fell 3.9%.

WPP also said it expected group revenues to be lower in 2025, between 0% and 2%.

In his speech, Lesser, who joined in September 2024, focused on the simplification of GroupM and its move towards an AI-focused strategy.

GroupM’s five-point strategy is as follows:

1. Data and technology: Lesser said that GroupM will use WPP Open, the network’s AI marketing system, and its Media Studio to shift from an ID solutions-based strategy to an AI-based data strategy.

2. Talent: Lesser said that GroupM is “investing in technical employees and workforce development, ensuring alignment with our clients' future needs”. He added that he had restructured GroupM’s global organisation and appointed four new roles focused on: Clients; growth; transformation and operations; and market expansion. 

3. Innovation: Lesser said that GroupM will be introducing “proprietary trading models and next-generation media products”, which will allow the group to offer “more performance to our clients at efficient prices” and “redefine industry standards."

4. Collaboration: Lesser said: “We're improving internal and external collaboration across GroupM and WPP, integrating media, creativity and production more effectively.”

5. Organisation design: Lesser said: “We are further simplifying our structure to become a unified company with one voice to clients and partners. In 2024 we made significant strides in eliminating complexity, but we know that we have to be simpler and there is more work to do.”

The four appointments Lesser mentioned were: Emily Del Greco as global chief operating officer; Adam Gerhart as global chief client officer; Toby Jenner as global chief business officer; and Mark Patterson as global president, markets and business operations.

Del Greco was recruited from management consulting firm McKinsey, while Jenner was previously global chief executive at Wavemaker and Gerhart was previously global chief executive at Mindshare.

Their job moves mean that GroupM no longer has global heads of individual agency networks, although EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker are keeping CEOs in local markets and regions. 

Lesser also discussed GroupM’s data strategy, saying data connectivity was more important than owning a database and “no matter how many traditional IDs you have, it will never be enough."

He added: “The future is about connecting disparate data sets to extract insights, create predictive models and drive performance. 

“By 2030 we'll be working with thousands of data partners to guide audience decisions. The only way to harness that scale is by leveraging AI at every step of the process. No singular legacy database can manage that scale and complexity.”

Answering questions after the presentation, Lesser conceded that “perhaps” GroupM had been “too complex” in the past and “not focused enough on our clients”.

On GroupM’s rivals, he added: “I think some of our competition has been good about positioning legacy data assets as a future forward strategy. We have a different take on that and we're winning business with that strategy. 

“We will build a culture of innovation. Many of the innovations that have come out of the media industry originated at GroupM, and we will get back to that culture.”