WPP’s Laurent Ezekiel to Rejoin Publicis in Strategic Talent Shift

Publicis strengthens its senior ranks while WPP faces another leadership gap amid client losses and executive turnover.

Laurent Ezekiel, WPP’s Chief Marketing and Growth Officer, is leaving the holding group to return to Publicis Groupe, the agency network where he built much of his career. His move underscores the growing pressure on WPP, which is navigating a period of client attrition, profit warnings and an imminent change at the top.

Laurent Ezekiel

Ezekiel joined WPP in 2019 after more than 16 years at Publicis, taking on the newly created role of Chief Marketing Officer and later becoming chief executive of Open X, the bespoke unit formed to service Coca‑Cola’s global marketing business. During his tenure, he oversaw the development of an integrated agency model designed to offer clients a “modern marketing ecosystem” combining creative, media, data and technology under a single operational structure.

The timing of his departure is significant. WPP recently lost Coca‑Cola’s North American media account to Publicis, alongside other major exits such as Mars a…