Laurent Ezekiel, WPP’s chief marketing officer and chief executive of OpenX, is set to leave the advertising group and join Publicis Groupe.
Ezekiel joined WPP in 2019 as its first global chief marketing officer. In 2021, following WPP’s win of the global Coca-Cola account, he was appointed CEO of OpenX, a dedicated agency created for the beverage brand.
Prior to WPP, Ezekiel worked at Publicis Groupe for over 16 years, where he held senior roles including President of Digitas North America & International, and Global Client Lead for GSK and Samsung. He was also Worldwide Client Services Director at Digitas, and held various leadership positions across its UK and global operations.
Ezekiel began his career at Saatchi & Saatchi, later working at UBS and Grey, where he managed accounts including Masterfoods and P&G. His background includes global client leadership, agency operations, and digital strategy.
His departure marks a leadership change at WPP, as the group continues to compete with other holding companies offering client-dedicated agency models.
Ezekiel’s return to Publicis follows recent leadership shifts at WPP, including Mark Read stepping down and Candy Rose assuming leadership.
The move also follows several major account changes, including Coca-Cola’s $700 million North American media mandate, Mars’ $1.7 billion global media account, and Paramount’s business, all moving from WPP to Publicis. WPP has retained parts of the Coca-Cola business, including its Studio X production partnership.
A WPP spokesperson said a successor “will be announced shortly,” according to global media reports.
