Ad group WPP lines up former BT boss Philip Jansen as its new chair, FT reports

(Reuters) – Britain’s WPP (LON:) is set to pick former BT Group (LON:) chief Philip Jansen as its new chair, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Jansen is set to succeed current WPP chair Roberto Quarta and the decision could be announced as early as Tuesday, the report added.

WPP did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Quarta has been the chairman of WPP, the world’s largest advertising company, since 2015.

In January, Sky News reported that Jansen had been approached about becoming the next chair of WPP.

This report comes at a time when the London-based company, which owns the Ogilvy and GroupM agencies, became a clear laggard among global ad companies with an organic revenue drop in its first-quarter results announced in April, hurt by less spending from tech clients, a downturn in China and the loss of business from Pfizer (NYSE:).

Philip Jansen had announced in July 2023 that he would step down from his role as chief executive of BT Group, informing the telecoms provider’s board that he would leave within the next 12 months. He was subsequently replaced by Allison Kirkby, the first female CEO of the company.