Board of Directors

Non-executive chairman

Philip Lader Non-executive chairman Age 69

Chairman of the Nomination and Governance Committee.

Philip Lader was appointed chairman of WPP in 2001. The US Ambassador to the Court of St James’s from 1997 to 2001, he previously served as a member of the US President’s Cabinet, White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Deputy Director of the Office of Management & Budget. Before entering government service, he was executive vice president of the late Sir James Goldsmith’s US holdings and president of both a prominent American real estate company and universities in the US and Australia. A lawyer, he is also a senior advisor to Morgan Stanley, a director of Marathon Oil, Rusal and AES Corporations, a trustee of RAND Corporation, the Smithsonian Museum of American History and the Atlantic Council, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Roberto Quarta Non-executive director and chairman designate Age 65

Chairman designate and Member of the Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Roberto Quarta was appointed as a director with effect from 1 January 2015. He is Chairman of IMI plc, a FTSE 100 listed engineering business (from which he will be stepping down following the company’s AGM on 7 May 2015), as well as Chairman of Smith & Nephew plc, a FTSE 100 listed global medical devices company and Partner of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Chairman of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Europe, a private equity firm. Previously, he was Chief Executive and then Chairman of BBA Group plc, Chairman of Rexel SA and a Non-Executive Director at BAE Systems plc, Equant NV, Foster Wheeler AG and PowerGen plc.

Executive directors

Sir Martin Sorrell Chief executive Age 70

Sir Martin Sorrell joined WPP in 1986 as a director, becoming Group chief executive in the same year. He is a non-executive director of Formula One and Alcoa Inc.

[email protected]

Paul Richardson Finance director Age 57

Chairman of the Sustainability Committee.

Paul Richardson became Group finance director of WPP in 1996 after four years with the Company as director of treasury. He is responsible for the Group’s worldwide functions in finance, information technology, procurement, property, treasury, taxation, internal audit and sustainability. He is a chartered accountant and fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He is a non-executive director of STW Communications Group Limited in Australia, which is a company associated with the Group.

[email protected]

Non-executive directors

Roger Agnelli Non-executive director Age 54

Member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Roger Agnelli was appointed a non-executive director of WPP on 13 May 2013. He is the founding partner and CEO of AGN Holding, a Brazilian company focused on mining, logistics and bioenergy in Brazil, Latin America and Africa. He is also the chairman of B&A, a joint venture between BTG Pactual and AGN, focused on the exploration and development of fertilizer, iron ore and copper assets. He was CEO and president of VALE from July 2001 to May 2011. He was vice president of ANBID (Brazil’s National Association of Investment Banks) and member of the International Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). He has served on the board of directors of CPFL, Rio Grande Energia, Serra da Mesa Energia and VCB Energia in Brazil and Duke Energy in the US; in oil and gas, Petrobras and Suzano Petroquímica in Brazil and Spectra Energy in the US; in steel, CSN and LATASA; in automotive and auto parts, Mahle Metal Leve; in home appliances, Brasmotor and in cable TV, UGB Participações. In September 2010, he joined the International Business Leaders Advisory Council (IBLAC) to the Mayor of Shanghai. He has served on the International Advisory Councils of South Africa to the President Thabo Mbeki and of Mozambique to the President Dr Armando Guebuza. He was member of Anadarko’s Global Advisory Board and in Brazil, he was member of the Economic and Social Development Council of President Lula and of the Strategic Advisory Council of FIESP (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo). He has been a member of the board of directors of ABB Ltd since 2002. In addition, he is a member of the International Expert Advisory Board of the Sultanate of Oman and of McKinsey International Advisory Council. In Brazil, he is honorary director of ACRJ (Commercial Association of Rio de Janeiro).

Jacques Aigrain Non-executive director Age 60

Member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.

Jacques Aigrain was appointed a non-executive director of WPP on 13 May 2013. He is currently a partner at Warburg Pincus LLP. He was CEO of Swiss Re AG from 2006 to 2009, and prior to that, he spent 20 years with JPMorgan Chase in New York, London and Paris. In addition, he is a non-executive director of London Stock Exchange Group Plc and a Supervisory Board Member of LyondellBassell NV, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and its subsidiary, Swiss International Airlines AG. He was Chairman of LCH Clearnet Group Ltd from 2010 to March 2015, and also was a Director of the Qatar Financial Center Authorities until March 2015. He is a dual French and Swiss citizen. He holds a PhD in Economics from Sorbonne University, and a MA degree in Economics from Paris Dauphine University.

Charlene Begley Non-executive director Age 48

Member of the Audit Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Charlene T Begley was appointed a non-executive director of WPP on 1 December 2013. Most recently, Ms Begley served as a Senior Vice President of General Electric Company and the Chief Executive Officer and President of GE Home & Business Solutions at General Electric Company. In this role, she had responsibility for $9 billion of revenue with the GE Appliances, Lighting and Intelligent Platforms businesses, as well as served as the company’s Chief Information Officer and led the Sourcing Council and Corporate Leadership Staff. As CIO, she managed a budget of $3.7 billion and led 10,000 IT professionals with a strong focus on business process excellence, simplification, collaboration and security and compliance. Over her career at GE, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Enterprise Solutions, GE Plastics, and GE Transportation. In addition, she led GE’s Corporate Audit Staff and served as the Chief Financial Officer for GE Transportation and GE Plastics Europe and India. Ms Begley currently serves as a non-executive director and member of the Audit Committee of NASDAQ OMX and non-executive director and member of the Audit and Nominating Committees of Red Hat. Ms Begley was a director of Morpho Detection, Inc. and GE Fanuc JV. She was recognized as a Young Global leader on the World Economic Forum and Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women in Business”. Ms Begley graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Vermont in 1988 with a BS Degree in Business Administration.

Colin Day Non-executive director Age 60

Chairman of the Audit Committee and member of the Compensation Committee.

Colin Day was appointed a non-executive director of WPP in July 2005. He is the Chief Executive of Essentra plc and a non-executive director of AMEC Foster Wheeler and FM Global. He was the group finance director of Reckitt Benckiser plc until April 2011, having been appointed to its board in September 2000. Previously he has been group finance director of Aegis Group plc and held a number of senior finance positions with the ABB Group plc and De La Rue Group plc. He was a non-executive director of Vero Group plc until 1998, Bell Group plc until 2004, Imperial Tobacco plc until February 2007, easyJet plc until September 2005 and Cadbury plc until 2010.

Sir John Hood Non-executive director Age 63

Chairman of the Compensation Committee.

Sir John Hood was appointed a director on 1 January 2014. An international education and business leader, he was formerly Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and of the University of Auckland. In his native New Zealand, he served as Chairman of Tonkin & Taylor Ltd and as non-executive director of Fonterra Co-operative Group, ASB Bank Ltd, and other companies. Sir John currently serves as President & CEO of the Robertson Foundation, and as Chairman of Urenco Limited, Matakina Limited, and Study Group Limited. He also serves as Chair of the Rhodes Trust and Teach For All. Sir John earned his PhD in Civil Engineering from the University of Auckland and then won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford, where he was awarded an MPhil in Management Studies. Sir John has been appointed a Knight Companion to the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Ruigang Li Non-executive director Age 45

Member of the Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Ruigang Li was appointed a director of WPP in October 2010. He is the Founding Chairman of CMC Capital Partners (CMC), China’s most prestigious brand for media and entertainment investment and operation with a most extensive coverage across the entire spectrum of traditional and internet space. Under the leadership of Ruigang Li, CMC has created a number of champions in key industry areas such as television, film, animation and location-based entertainment; and has invested in both established and emerging leaders in financial media, advertising, sports, home shopping, e-commerce, online ticketing, talent agency, mobile video social network, online game and other subsectors. Ruigang Li is also the Chairman of SMG (Shanghai Media Group), which he has successfully transformed into the media conglomerate with the highest market capitalisation in China from a Shanghai-based provincial broadcaster over his two terms of leadership of the company.

Daniela Riccardi Non-executive director Age 55

Member of the Compensation Committee.

Daniela Riccardi was appointed a director on 12 September 2013. A prominent FMCG, retail-and-fashion products executive, she is Chief Executive Officer of Baccarat, the international luxury goods company, and was Chief Executive Officer of Diesel Group, the innovative fashion business. She was an executive at Procter & Gamble for 25 years, including service as President of Procter & Gamble Greater China, with 7,000 employees, and Vice President-General Manager for Eastern Europe & Russia. Ms Riccardi also sits on the Board of Kering. Ms Riccardi is a Magna Cum Laude graduate in Political Science and International Studies at Sapienza University of Rome and completed a Fellowship in Marketing at Yale University.

Jeffrey A. Rosen Non-executive director Age 67

Member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.
Senior independent director.

Jeffrey Rosen was appointed a director of WPP in December 2004. He is a deputy chairman and managing director of Lazard with over 40 years’ experience in international investment banking and corporate finance. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is President of the Board of Trustees of the International Center of Photography in New York.

Nicole Seligman Non-executive director Age 58

Member of the Compensation Committee.

Nicole Seligman was appointed a director on 1 January 2014. A senior Sony executive since 2001, she is President of Sony Entertainment, Inc. and Sony Corporation of America and Sony Group Senior Legal Counsel. Until 2014, she was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Sony Corporation. Previously, as a partner in the Washington law firm of Williams & Connolly, she counselled a wide range of clients, including major media companies, on complex litigation and commercial matters. She was a law clerk for US Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and was associate editorial page editor for the Asian Wall Street Journal. She was a Magna Cum Laude graduate of both Harvard College and Harvard Law School.

Hugo Shong Non-executive director Age 59

Member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Hugo Shong was appointed a director on 13 May 2013. He is the executive vice president of International Data Group (IDG), a private technology media, research and events company, and president of IDG Asia/China. He joined IDG in 1991 as an associate to IDG’s founder and chairman, Patrick J. McGovern, for Asian business development after working for three years as a reporter and editor at Electronic Business and Electronic Business Asia magazine, where he launched over 40 magazines and newspapers in Asian countries, such as PC World Vietnam, the Chinese editions of NetworkWorld, Electronic Products, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, National Geographic, FHM and Men’s Health. In 1993, he helped IDG to set up China’s first technology venture fund, IDG Capital Partners, which now has $5 billion under management and an investment portfolio including Baidu, Tencent (QQ), Sohu, Ctrip, Soufun and Xiaomi. He currently serves on the boards of China Jiuhao Health Industry Corp, which focuses on health maintenance and retirement community projects in China, and Mei Ah Entertainment Group, an entertainment company with interests in television, film and theatre listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Hugo has been a member of the board of trustees of Boston University since 2005. After completing his undergraduate studies at Hunan University, he attended the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and earned a Master of Science from Boston University in 1987. He conducted graduate studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and has also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Timothy P. Shriver Non-executive director Age 55

Member of the Compensation Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Tim Shriver was appointed a director of WPP in August 2007. He is Chairman of Special Olympics and in that capacity, he happily serves together with over 4 million Special Olympics athletes in 170 countries, all working to promote health, education, and a more unified world through the joy of sports. Before joining Special Olympics in 1996, Shriver was and remains a leading educator focusing on the social and emotional factors in learning. He co-founded and currently chairs the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), the leading school reform organization in the field of social and emotional learning. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Shriver earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University, a Master’s degree from The Catholic University of America, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Connecticut. He has produced four films, written for dozens of newspapers and magazines, founded an ice cream company, and been rewarded with degrees and honors which he didn’t deserve but happily accepted on behalf of others.

Sally Susman Non-executive director Age 53

Member of the Nomination and Governance Committee.

Sally Susman was appointed a director on 13 May 2013. She is currently executive vice president, Corporate Affairs for Pfizer, the world’s largest biopharmaceutical company. Sally also heads the firm’s corporate responsibility group and plays a key role in shaping policy initiatives. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, she was EVP of Global Communications at Estée Lauder, where she directed global corporate affairs strategy and served as a member of the Executive Committee. She also held several senior corporate affairs posts at American Express, working in both London and the US. She started her career in government service focused on international trade issues and her positions included Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs in the US Department of Commerce. She serves on the board of the International Rescue Committee and is a Trustee at the Library of Congress. Sally holds a BA in Government from Connecticut College in the US and has studied at the London School of Economics.

Sol Trujillo Non-executive director Age 63

Member of the Audit Committee and Compensation Committee.

Solomon D. (Sol) Trujillo was appointed a director of WPP in October 2010. He is an international business executive with three decades’ experience as CEO of high-cap global companies in the US, EU, and Australia. A digital pioneer and long-time practitioner of market-based management, Sol was an early champion of high-speed broadband and the mobile internet to stimulate productivity and innovation across all sectors of the economy. Sol currently sits on corporate boards in the US, EU, and China and has managed operations in more than 25 countries around the world – including developed as well as emerging markets from the EU and North America to China, Australasia, Africa and the Middle East.

Members of the Advisory Board

  • Jeremy Bullmore
  • John Jackson
  • Bud Morten
  • Koichiro Naganuma
  • John Quelch
  • Richard Rivers
  • Cuneyd Zapsu

Company Secretary

  • Marie Capes