WPP Names Mark Taylor as Chief People Officer
According to reports, Mark Taylor has been named the new Chief People Officer of WPP. Taylor held the position of Chief People Advisor at LEGO Group and was the Chief People Officer at Burberry.
With more than thirty years of experience, Taylor started his career at GlaxoSmithKline as Director of Human Resources and subsequently became Senior HR Director for the EMEA region at Kimberly-Clark.
His diverse experience across pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, retail, and digital entertainment is anticipated to aid in implementing WPP’s three-year ‘Elevate 28’ turnaround strategy, the reports noted.
Simultaneously, current Chief People Officer Marie-Claire Barker will move into a specialized position centered on performance and culture, with reports indicating she will report to Taylor.
This signifies CEO Cindy Rose’s second significant leadership recruitment in a week, after the selection of Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as Chief Transformation Officer. Choueiri held the position of SVP – Transformation at Estée Lauder Companies in the past.
At Burberry, Taylor guided changes in organizational design and updated working methods, assisting the shift of the business from a conventional wholesaler to a digitally focused luxury retailer. He enhanced retail operations by implementing personalized hiring, training, and recognition initiatives designed to boost customer service.
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He subsequently became Chief People Officer at King. At LEGO, he managed board and CEO recruitment throughout the organization, directed leadership evaluations, revitalized boards within the LEGO ecosystem—including Merlin Entertainments—and reorganized the company's HR department.
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"This powerful leadership combination gives me real confidence in our ability to modernize our People function at pace and make WPP the best place to build a career in our industry." – Cindy Rose OBE, CEO.
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Mark Taylor is a commercially driven Chief People Officer and adviser with extensive international experience across both public and privately owned businesses. He has served as a highly trusted partner to owners, boards, and CEOs, enabling “active ownership” by putting in place the essential building blocks required to create and sustain value across diverse portfolios of investments and companies.