Laurent Ezekiel named Ogilvy CEO, Devika Bulchandani moves to WPP COO

Laurent Ezekiel has been named global chief executive of Ogilvy, replacing Devika Bulchandani, who has been appointed as chief operating officer at WPP.

Floriane Tripolino has been named chief executive of WPP Open X.

The appointments follow the arrival of new chief executive Cindy Rose on 1 September.

Rose said that these appointments will play a “crucial role in helping me drive WPP to our next phase of growth and ensuring our clients continue to win in a rapidly evolving market”.

Reported by Campaign today (5 September), Ezekiel pulled out of his move to Publicis and decided to remain at WPP. WPP would not confirm his move to Ogilvy when Campaign asked ahead of the announcement.

In addition to his role as global chief executive of Ogilvy, he also becomes executive sponsor of WPP Open X, the network’s bespoke team for the Coca-Cola Company.

He was previously joint chief executive of WPP Open X, having created the bespoke team, and chief marketing officer at the network.

Before joining WPP, Ezekiel worked at Publicis for 16 years.

Ezekiel called it an “immense honour” to lead the Ogilvy Group and added: “The future of Ogilvy is bright, and I’m thrilled to be a part of writing the next chapter of marketing history with our teams and clients.”

Bulchandani has been global chief executive at Ogilvy since September 2022, after joining in 2021 as global president and chief executive, North America.

Before that, she was president at McCann New York.

Bulchandani said: “As we all begin this next chapter at WPP, I'm energised by the immense potential ahead. I truly believe that when we seamlessly bring together WPP’s world-class capabilities, we become an invincible force – one that unlocks unparalleled value for our clients. I look forward to collaborating with Cindy and leaders across WPP to amplify that impact and drive even greater success for our partners."

Completing the trio of appointments, Tripolino's move to WPP Open X follows her role as global client leader for the past five years at WPP.

Tripolino said: "I’m excited to work with Laurent in this next phase of our marketing transformation, ensuring our partnership continues to lead the industry and deliver truly impactful, future-forward work.”

Ogilvy has been under pressure with a “high-single-digit” decline in revenues globally in H1, although the UK operation grew. WPP’s revenues fell 5.8% in the first half.