WPP chief executive Cindy Rose has appointed Conrad Persons as her chief of staff.
Persons is currently chief executive of Grey London – a role he was promoted to in April this year. Previously, Persons had been running the London agency since September 2023 as president.
Rose announced the news in an email to WPP leaders on Tuesday (11 November) and said a new chief executive of Grey London will be announced “shortly”. Persons, she added, will support the agency’s executive team with the transition to a new leader.
Persons' new role marks his return to a group-level position at WPP, as he previously served as global strategist for the holding company between 2021 and 2023.
Persons starts his new role immediately, reporting directly to Rose. He will continue to be based in London.
Rose stated: “Many of you know Conrad from his time as a global strategist for WPP, where he partnered with many of our most senior clients on initiatives for transformation and growth. For the last two years, he has been the CEO of Grey London, where he has led the agency from strength to strength.
“Under his leadership, the agency delivered record new business performance last year, a formidable performance at Cannes that was the agency's best in almost a decade and its highest-ever client satisfaction scores – all while producing brilliant work for brands like Stella Artois, Tourism Ireland, Aquafresh and Vodafone.”
WPP said Persons' job is a new role for the holding company.
He will be responsible for championing Rose's AI initiative for WPP and leading cultural transformation across the business, managing key relationships with the board and executive committee and working with strategy and corporate HQ teams.
Grey London won four new accounts last year, the biggest being Etihad Airways' global creative account. In the same year it lost its 27-year account with Pringles, which moved to IPG's FCB.
The agency hired Helen Rhodes as chief creative officer this year, after executive creative director David Wigglesworth left for Channel 4.
Grey London's "Claustrobars" work for Stella Artois won gold at Cannes Lions this year.
Persons said: "Leading this amazing agency has truly been the greatest pleasure of my career. As I begin transitioning into my new role as chief of staff – and I'm incredibly excited to support Cindy’s ambitious vision for WPP's future – my commitment to Grey London's continued success remains absolute.
“I'll be working closely with our London and global leadership teams to ensure a seamless transition in the weeks and months ahead. In my new capacity at WPP, I will always be a fierce advocate for Grey, ensuring its extraordinary talent, its valued client partnerships and its famously effective creativity continue to thrive on the global stage."
Yesterday it emerged WPP has appointed management consulting firm McKinsey to advise on its much-anticipated strategy review.
The UK-based agency group is under growing pressure to reboot its strategy after issuing two profit warnings in three months.
