SVP Commercial - Global Client Solutions (GCS)

Reporting to: CFO – WPP Media UK, & Global Client Solutions (GCS)

Role Summary: A senior commercial leadership role with end-to-end responsibility for driving growth, profitability, and operational excellence across a portfolio of Global Client Solutions activity, while partnering closely with client leadership, finance, people, and operations teams.

About the Business

WPP Media is WPP's global media collective. In a world where media is everywhere and in everything, we bring the best platform, AI, Data, People and partners together to create limitless opportunities for growth. For more information, visit www.wppmedia.com

We have a bold ambition: to make WPP Media the undisputed leader in our industry. We are evolving our business operating model, our ways of working and placing data, technology and AI at the heart of everything we do for our people and our clients.

Vision '30 Priorities Join us in shaping the future of our industry with Vision '30 – our ambitious strategy to lead in the AI era. We are revolutionizing our business to unlock limitless growth opportunities for our clients and ourselves, built on four core priorities:

1. Collaboration: Foster unprecedented levels of data collaboration across WPP and partners through WPP Open, turning every channel into a smarter opportunity.
2. Data & Technology: Leverage our AI-powered Open Intelligence solution, connecting vast data to uncover unique insights, deliver predictive performance and superior brand experiences through our globally consistent DPAM process.
3. Innovation: Drive true innovation by generating intelligence from trillions of privacy-by-default data points, focusing on the 'why' behind customer behaviour to create unparalleled competitive advantages.
4. People: Developing future-ready talent involves evolving our focus from traditional media planning to strategic business outcomes, advanced technology and real-time measurable results, as AI increasingly automates media investment by 2030.

WPP Media is a single client centric company with a portfolio of go to market brands. Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and T&P are our agency teams; these house multiple local and global clients. In addition, we have several dedicated client brands, such as OpenDoor (Amazon) and Media Futures Group (Google). All of these teams are supported by consistent capabilities, enterprise level tools and systems and our market leading OPEN platform.

Role Summary and Impact

The Senior Vice President (SVP) is a critical, impactful leader within WPP Media's Global Client Solutions, demanding deep expertise and strong leadership.  This position is integral to stabilising, evolving, and growing our business within the highly competitive global media landscape, specifically for global hubbed activity for our portfolio of Global Clients. The SVP Commercial will be responsible for driving decision making on growth and commercial success of this activity.

The successful candidate will possess a robust set of problem-solving and analytical skills, coupled with an exceptional aptitude for influencing and collaborating effectively with senior internal stakeholders, including our Global Chief Client Officer, Global Client Presidents and the Global Client Leads.

Unique Selling Proposition (USP): This role offers the opportunity to take overall commercial ownership of significant portfolio of activity, driving significant commercial growth on high profile global clients, achieving operational excellence, and serving as a key position where you can make a profound difference to the GCS business.

Key Interfaces

• Mike Nichols (CFO WPP Media UK & GCS) – direct reporting line
• Finance and Operations Lead
• Group FP&A Director UK & GCS
• Global Chief Client Officer and Global Client Presidents
• Global Client Leads – key commercial partners
• Global People Lead – for HR-related matters

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Commercial Leadership: Build & evolve commercial propositions for a portfolio of our existing Global Clients that maximizes growth and profitability for WPP Media and its clients.

Be a subject matter expert and partner to Global Client Leads with respect to their hubbed activity, supporting on pricing, negotiations, staffing, management of contribution margin and investment decisions. This role is a key bridge between the client teams, finance and the people team to deliver fast and agile decision-making to benefit our clients.

The scope of the role includes:

Commercial Leadership and Client Growth

• Build and evolve commercial propositions for Global Clients that maximise growth and profitability for WPP Media and its clients.
• Partner with Global Client Leads on pricing, negotiations, staffing, contribution margin, and investment decisions across hubbed activity.
• Lead pricing of team structures, benchmark comparisons, performance-related fee models, and other incentive mechanisms.
• Liaise with client legal and procurement teams on contract drafting, review, local market addendums, opt-in agreements, NDAs, and related ad hoc needs.
• Act as the finance, commercial, and strategic business partner to Client Presidents for Global Clients in respect of hubbed activity.
• Drive pre-month-end reviews and maintain accurate rolling forecasts in partnership with FP&A, Reporting, and Controllership.
• Review profitability, staffing plans, budgets, and forecasts to ensure deliverability and surface key risks and opportunities.
• Partner with Resource Management, finance operations, and controllership teams to optimise margin, staffing, and portfolio performance.
• Ensure accountability for investments in staffing to ensure ROI and keep under continuous review.

Transformation, Compliance, and Team Leadership

• Partner with Compliance and Commercial Compliance to improve OMI management, pass-back and release, audit readiness, and contract transition activity.
• Support the development of tools and systems that improve clarity of financial and operational information for decision-making.

Life at WPP Media & Benefits Our passion for shaping the next era of media includes investing in our employees to help them do their best work, and we're just as committed to employee growth as we are to responsible media investment. WPP Media employees can tap into the global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, grow their networks, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We have a variety of employee resource groups and host frequent in-office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our benefits include competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.

WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection.

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