John Steedman moves on from WPP after 45 year association

WPP’s executive director and chief operating officer, John Steedman has announced his retirement effective today. He was associated with the company for 45 years. Steedman's long stint at WPP included leadership roles at Wunderman Thompson, Mindshare and GroupM.

He began his career at McCann, where he stayed for five years, before joining J Walter Thompson in 1976. He spent two decades at JWT and became regional media director at the company. In 1997, he joined Mindshare as chairman and CEO APAC. Seven years later, he assumed the role of chairman and CEO for GroupM APAC. A position he held for another six years.

Steedman was WPP’s interim chief executive from November 2018 to October 2019 after the exit of its founder Sir Martin Sorrell.

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