A senior executive at IBM has been approached about the top job at WPP after CEO and founder, Sir Martin Sorrell’s abrupt departure in April.
According to media reports out of the UK, David Kenny, the senior vice-president of IBM’s Watson and Cloud Platform division, was interviewed for the position in WPP’s New York offices last month.
Kenny has denied he is interested in the position despite being interviewed for it. His name is in the mix with two other possible candidates: WPP’s co-chief operating officer Mark Read and industry veteran Hamish McLennan.
It is expected that WPP will announce Sorrell’s successor in early September when it also unveils its half-year results.
Media in the UK have suggested that Read is the current favourite to win the role primarily because he is very familiar with the culture of the business.
Meanwhile in other WPP news, the company has announced it will depart its famed London headquarters after 30 years.
Positioned in London’s Mayfair – 27 Farm Street – it is one of the city’s most priciest addresses.
The move is not thought to be a budgetary one, but merely a further sign that the company has moved on from its Sorrell days.
In a memo to staff, Mark Read and Andrew Scott, the joint chief operating officers of WPP, said: “As WPP evolves, so does the role of the parent company.
“We are reviewing our working environment to make it fit for purpose and ready for our new requirements and, specifically, to create a more modern and attractive office that is better suited to more collaborative ways of working.”
