It has been announced by WPP AUNZ group today that Lee Leggett will be replacing John Gutteridge as CEO of Wunderman Thompson based in Sydney.
Leggett has experience across a range of different agencies and brings more than 20 years’ digital and international experience gained from a range of management roles where she led diverse teams, managed complex stakeholders and built strong relationships between senior clients, cross agency teams and media partners.
“I’m delighted to be joining the Wunderman Thompson business,” she says. “I’ve always looked for opportunities that provide the chance to both lead and work side by side with teams that are driven by new and innovative approaches. I believe I’ve found that at Wunderman Thompson and am looking forward to working with Jens and the broader global team as we further consolidate the agency’s leading market position.”
Gutteridge has more than 20 years’ experience working in the communications industry and a variety of WPP agencies across multiple markets. He rose rapidly through management, becoming CEO of JWT ANZ in 2011.
“Once I decided to return to Australia, WPP AUNZ asked me to lead the merger of Wunderman and J Walter Thompson in Australia and New Zealand. It’s been a fulfilling experience and thanks to the hard work of the team we’ve got a very strong proposition. But with the two brands now successfully working together and the business heading into its next phase, it was always my intention to hand the business over once the merger was complete. It’s the perfect time for Lee to take over and I wish her all the very best. I’m now moving onto a new and very different opportunity, which I’m feeling really energised by, I look forward to sharing more details in due course. My time with WPP and Wunderman Thompson has been a very positive experience, providing the chance to work with some really talented and inspiring people from around the world, I look forward to watching their continued success.”
WPP AUNZ CEO Jens Monsees said: “We would like to thank John for his commitment to the business and helping to achieve the successful merger of Wunderman Thompson to become the data and technology powerhouse it now is. We wish him well for the future.”
