Possible and Wunderman have recently swapped their senior management talent four months after holding company WPP merged the two digital agencies, which I feel is a very interesting topic and also very relevant to talk about, so below I have highlighted how this will work, what it does for both Possible, Wunderman & WPP and also an insight into how large groups could work moving forward.
Whilst usually merges with different companies can sometimes have an impact on the senior management team, in this case it has done quite the opposite and instead of losing top senior talent, what Wunderman and Possible have managed to do, is swap a couple of key members of staff.
So after four years at Wunderman, most recently as UK managing director, Chris Daplyn has now stepped into the role of UK chief executive of Possible, which continues to operate as a standalone brand within Wunderman. So ultimately by Wunderman not exactly losing Chris, they’ve managed to secure his expertise and skill set, keeping it close to home but within a different agency in WPP. He actually replaces Neil Miller, who has moved into a wider team position working with the WPP chief revenue officer George Rogers, so again a great way to keep hold of a senior figure within WPP and utilise him still within their group.
Chris Daplyn’s role is of immediate effect and he will oversee the UK business, which also includes responsibility for offices in Budapest and Poland, so to a certain degree Chris’ role has taken on a different challenge with now having a European focus too.
Now, this is where it gets interesting, and I think something that we could potentially be seeing a lot more of. So the void left by Chris Daplyn’s exit from Wunderman, Possible’s managing director Jo Hagger, who only joined the agency just four months ago, will take up the role of managing director for Wunderman’s UK business, so ultimately what we have here is a swap from Wunderman & Possible, and it does make a lot of sense. It helps keep integral members of the team within the WPP group and ultimately instead of losing their staff it has offered an extra career path for both Chris & Jo, again, something we should all keep our eyes on as I don’t think this will the last time of agencies ‘swapping’ personnel.
A quote from Darin Brown the chief executive EMEA of Possible, was very positive all round introducing Chris to the team and wishing Neil the best in his future; “I am thrilled to welcome Chris to the team. He’s a strong and personable leader with a lot of ambition and passion for the Possible brand. His energy and experience will be incredibly valuable as we continue to grow and serve our client’s digital needs. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for Neil, so I want to say a massive thank you for his stewardship and wish him all the best for the future.”
And Pip Hulbert, chief executive UK at Wunderman, added: “Jo will be a fantastic addition to the agency and I look forward to seeing her replicate some of her recent successes here at Wunderman. These moves solidify our partnership with Possible.”
I think what we have here, is two great agencies working together to solidify their relationships, inside knowledge from both parties moving ships which I feel can only result in positive outcomes and success in the near future.
I hope you’ve found this insightful and I welcome any comments, questions on this, thanks for your time.
Written by Toby Boggans, Senior Consultant – Project Management
LinkedIn: Toby Boggans / RedCat Digital
Twitter: @Toby_RedCat / @RedCat_Digital
Facebook: RedCat Digital
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