WPP Media North America CEO Sharb farjami departs Amid Restructuring
NEW YORK - Sharb Farjami is leaving WPP Media to pursue an prospect outside of the media agency world, the company announced today.His departure comes during a period of significant change for WPP Media, which recently completed a rebrand from GroupM and a restructuring aimed at greater agency integration following major account losses and wins.
Farjami most recently served as CEO of WPP Media North America, a role he held for the past two years, and prior to that, as CEO of Wavemaker US. brian lesser, currently CEO of WPP Media, will immediately oversee North America, with the regional executive committee reporting directly to him. Farjami will assist Lesser during the transition.
“Sharb’s leadership laid the foundation for our success and was instrumental in our change,” Lesser wrote in an internal note to staff. “From bringing in clients like Adobe, audible, and Johnson & Johnson, to guiding the rollout of our new operating model and brand in the region, he has been a tireless advocate for our clients and our business.”
The leadership shift follows a broader change at parent company WPP, where Cindy Rose succeeded Mark Read as CEO on September 1st. Rose acknowledged “a lot of hard work ahead” in her first address to staff, but expressed optimism about the future.
WPP recently announced a strategic review in its latest earnings report, citing a 5.8% revenue drop. Despite these challenges,WPP Media secured a significant win in August,unseating Carat to win Mastercard’s $180 million global media account.The company previously lost accounts including Coca-Cola and Mars.
