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The chief executive of KR Wavemaker, the French arm of the WPP-owned media agency, Jean-Philippe Bertaux, has stepped down and will be succeeded by CEO Julien Boyer and President Roch Osenda.
After 13 years within the agency, with 10 spent as CEO, Bertaux has overseen the merger of Maxus/MEC and the acquisition of KR Media to form the business as it is now.
The agency has not revealed his next venture.
The dual leadership team of Osenda and Boyer, who were previously managing directors, will report to Ruth Stubbs, chief executive for EMEA, and WPP France’s country head and GroupM chief executive, Mathieu Morgensztern.
With the change being made immediately, the pair will also be part of the Wavemaker EMEA and GroupM France executive leadership teams.
In a statement, Stubbs said: “Working with Roch and Julien over the past three years has been an absolute pleasure. They are both people-first, approachable and collaborative leaders that understand the importance of being close to the work for their clients. Both Julien and Roch have contributed to both regional and a driving force in the French market—this has been invaluable.
She added: “The combined skillsets of Roch and Julien provide Wavemaker France with something that is positively provocative and differentiating.”
Meanwhile, Wavemaker has also been confirmed as the media planning and buying agency for Transport for London and the Greater London Authority in the U.K.
Following a pitch process, the appointment will be retained for up to four years, charged with running campaigns that encourage Londoners to use more sustainable methods of transport around the city and transport safety campaigns and informing the city of the world of the Mayor of London Assembly.
The appointment has seen the consolidation of an agency framework into one single supplier to ensure “the best value for money.”
https://www.adweek.com/agencies/kr-wavemaker-announces-leadership-change-with-ceo-departure/