British advertising titan WPP has named Nancy Hall CEO of WPP Media U.S. following a months-long search for a leader of the division helmed by WPP Media global CEO Brian Lesser. 

Hall is stepping into the role after a nine-month stint as the company’s chief client officer. Prior to that, she was North America CEO at Mindshare, a WPP-owned media agency. She brings nearly 25 years of experience to her new post, having worked across adland holding companies including IPG and Conversant, which as part of Epsilon was later acquired by Publicis. In those roles, Hall helped to build out programmatic and tech capabilities designed to drive client outcomes. 

“My priority is to accelerate our momentum through innovation—strengthening our data and technology foundation, deepening client impact, and cultivating a culture where our teams are supported, challenged, and able to achieve their highest aspirations,” Hall told ADWEEK in a statement. “When our people thrive, our clients do, too. I am committed to setting that standard in this next chapter.”

Lesser, to whom Hall will report directly, expressed his confidence in Hall’s appointment. Her record of pioneering data and technology capabilities to deliver strong client results, he said, aligns “perfectly with our strategic priorities across WPP.”

Beyond her expertise in leading tech-centric organizations, he added, “she is deeply committed to our people and cultivating an environment where they are able to reach their highest aspirations.”

The news comes five months after the departure of Sharb Farjami, who served in the role for less than two years. Since his exit, Lesser has helmed WPP Media U.S. in an interim capacity.

WPP, more broadly, is at a critical turning point. CEO Cindy Rose announced during its fourth-quarter earnings call last week that WPP is abandoning the holding company model and plans to consolidate its many parts into four key divisions: WPP Media, WPP Creative, WPP Production, and WPP Enterprise Solutions. It’s part of a $676 million annual cost-cutting effort that arrives on the heels of WPP’s worst annual financial results since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, with additional declines projected.

Rose also suggested the company is exploring the potential divestiture of specific business units, though she did not name these divisions.

The ad giant’s multiyear downturn has been marked by major client losses including Coca-Cola, Mars, and Paramount (all to rival Publicis), the unceremonious departure of seven-year CEO Mark Read, and a stock price slumping under macroeconomic pressures and widespread AI anxieties. 

As the incoming leader of WPP Media U.S., Hall will have her work cut out for her.

Some WPP Media clients signaled their support for her promotion.

“Nancy is a thoughtful and dedicated partner, passionate about driving the best work for her clients,” said Ryu Yokoi, Unilever’s chief media and marketing capability officer for North America, in a statement. “She consistently pushes those around her to consider how to innovate for the future, while maintaining focus on driving outcomes in the present.”

Brad Audet, Mazda Americas’ chief marketing officer, said that Hall “brings tremendous insight and dedication to the work that we do together, be it in AI transformation, new audience strategy, or media innovation—and always in the service of putting consumers first. This is an outstanding choice for WPP Media’s clients.”

Hall’s appointment is effective immediately.

Update Mar. 4 at 7:31 p.m. ET: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Hall worked at Publicis. She worked at Conversant before it was acquired by Publicis.

Chicago’s Manifest has tapped a longtime BarkleyOKRP executive and Chicago agency veteran to unify its client leadership following last year’s merger with Aisle Rocket.

Betsy Ross joins the midsize independent as chief client officer, the first major leadership hire since the two agencies formally integrated under a single brand. The move signals the agency’s next phase after consolidation: building a consistent client experience across the merged agency.

Ross, who spent seven years at BarkleyOKRP and more than two decades in Chicago agencies, will oversee Manifest’s client organization across its offices in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C., Boston, and Phoenix.

Phase two of integration

The 2025 merger united Manifest’s content strategy expertise with Aisle Rocket’s creative technology and ecommerce capabilities under a single brand, creating a roughly 200-person independent challenger built to own the “middle” of the customer journey, where consideration expands and brands risk losing momentum.

Now, the agency has to deliver. According to Manifest partner and chief growth officer Melissa Bouma, the integrated structure required a single leader to unify what had previously been two client service organizations.

“We are bringing together and creating a new Manifest that we truly hope is going to be that right size agency to serve what clients need at this moment,” Bouma said.

On ‘productized’ agencies

Both executives framed the hire as a response to changing client expectations, with advertisers consolidating their agency rosters under pressure to drive measurable business impact.

At the same time, many agencies are packaging services into standardized, fixed-price offerings. Some agencies, like Stagwell’s Code and Theory, are going further, building proprietary AI tools to handle work that once required large teams.

Ross suggested that trend is creating frustration. “I was coming from a world where the solution was getting a little templated,” she said. “I’m excited to be part of flipping it upside down a little bit to meet what our clients really need.”

Rather than selling lines of service, Ross said her focus is custom work tied to client results, not billable hours. “If I wanted to be in sales, I would have gone into sales,” she said. “I am in relationship management for a reason.”

Growth agenda for 2026

Manifest ended 2025 focused on defining what differentiated the newly integrated agency. In 2026, Bouma said the focus has shifted toward helping more clients take advantage of the integrated offering.

The agency has secured new business in the pharmaceutical, travel, and hospitality categories, with additional announcements expected later this year. Leadership is also exploring further acquisitions, according to Bouma.

Ross will remain based in Chicago as the agency competes nationally against holding companies. For Ross, the appeal was returning to an independent structure where she could remain close to the work. “My sweet spot is working in that world where you’re still small enough to really have your handprint on the way we do business,” she said.

Bouma said she’ll measure Ross’s impact not just in revenue growth, but in client retention. “It’s about their satisfaction and happiness,” she said, “and showing consistency with growth at the same time.”

Havas Media Network North America has appointed Sharona Sankar-King as chief data and product officer, the agency told ADWEEK.

Sankar-King joins from marketing services firm Harte Hanks, where she served as chief customer and data officer, and will report directly to North America CEO Greg James. The hire gives Sankar-King oversight of Converged.AI, the agency’s proprietary AI platform, and its broader analytics practice across the U.S. and Canada.

Sankar-King’s appointment comes as Havas accelerates investment in AI infrastructure and positions Converged.AI as a differentiator in a market increasingly defined by data complexity and privacy fragmentation.

“The industry has shifted dramatically over the past 18 months, with AI, data, and product innovation converging at speed,” James said. “We conducted a thoughtful search to find a leader who could unify AI strategy, product development, and client impact under one vision. She brings a rare blend of consulting rigor, agency experience, and deep AI expertise to lead Converged.AI forward.”

Sankar-King brings more than 25 years of experience across agencies, consultancies, and marketing services firms. Before Harte Hanks, she spent over six years as an expert partner at Bain & Company, leading global work in customer engagement, marketing transformation, and AI-driven growth. Her agency background includes senior roles at BBDO, where she served as EVP and head of marketing science, and GroupM, where she led digital media optimization and advanced analytics across North America.

In her new role, Sankar-King will oversee Havas’ analytics practice and lead Converged.AI, the agency’s AI platform that connects 23,000 people across its global network. Since its launch two years ago, the platform has served as the foundation for tools like AVA, a no-code application launched at CES in January that lets staffers build and share AI workflows across the company. James describes it as the backbone of Havas’ AI-powered organization.

Sankar-King signaled her near-term focus will be on scaling what the agency has already built. “My focus is simple: accelerate our ability to deliver intelligence-led solutions at scale,” she said. “Clients aren’t looking for more noise; they’re looking for clarity, foresight, and solutions that actually solve real business problems.”

She was pointed about where the broader industry is falling short: “Most agencies focus on surface-level AI applications — automating tasks, building shiny demos, or experimenting in silos — without addressing the systemic issues that prevent AI from delivering real value: fragmented data, disconnected workflows, insufficient infrastructure, and a misunderstanding of AI’s role in augmenting human capability.”

In this episode of Brave Commerce, Rachel Tipograph and Sarah Hofstetter sit down with Brian Gelb, senior vice president of wine and concierge at Total Wine & More, to unpack how a retailer is gaining share while the broader alcohol market faces headwinds. 

Brian shares how his military background shaped an “intent-based leadership” approach that pushes decision-making down, builds ownership, and requires teams to arrive with a recommendation, not just an issue.

They also discuss what often breaks down between suppliers and retail partners, why bringing real customer insights to the table changes the quality of joint business planning conversations, and how Total Wine stays focused on service, selection, and sharp pricing, while expanding into non-alcoholic, THC-infused, and emerging functional beverage segments.

Key takeaways:

• Intent-based leadership drives accountability by empowering teams to own decisions and defend their reasoning.
• Retailer–supplier alignment improves when both sides start with customer insights and shared strategy.
• Share growth in a challenging market comes from disciplined focus on experience, assortment, and price.

It started so well. Last month, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski posted a video of his first chance to try the company’s new flagship burger, the Big Arch, which debuts across the U.S. on March 3.

It lined up as the perfect marketing moment. The boss, front and center, celebrating his new creation. And he was effusive as he opened the box. It was “so good.” It was “unique.” “So much going on”. 

Kempczinski is a P&G grad. This was the textbook windup from the Big Boss.

Then he took the bite.

The bite itself—like a man defusing something—was not a bite at all. It was a clip of the outer edge, while he disconcertingly talked about it as the “product.” Then “this thing.” 

What happened next, or rather what didn’t, sealed the video’s fate. It ends with 2.3% of the burger consumed and Kempczinski wafting the rest of his Big Arch around like a flag of surrender. He promises to enjoy it off-camera.

The video has been picked apart across social, and musician Garron Noone delivered the line that will follow Kempczinski to his grave: “This man does not eat McDonald’s.”

Kempczinski is, by all accounts, an excellent CEO. 

Harvard MBA, Duke undergrad, 25 years in blue-chip consumer companies. He claims to eat at McDonald’s several times a week. 

McDonald’s has performed strongly on his watch. He knows the P&L, the franchisee economics, the supply chain, the digital strategy. 

What he also knows, and what the video made obvious to several million people simultaneously, is that the Big Arch contains enough calories to power a small Zamboni.

This is the central tension of the modern CEO. The higher you rise, the further you get from the thing you sell. You earn $20 million a year, for selling a combo meal that costs nine bucks.  

The contradiction is as gigantic as it is intractable. You become a manager of managers, a master of the universe, a special visitor to conquered foreign lands. You know your product intimately as a concept—its market share, brand equity, net promoter score—but you stop knowing it as a thing you shove in your mouth on Tuesday when you’re shitfaced. 

Warren Buffett drinks five cans of Coke a day, not as a brand exercise, but because at the age of eight, he tried his first Coke and never really stopped thinking about it. He declared Cherry Coke the official drink of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. Berkshire owns 400 million Coca-Cola shares worth north of $20 billion. None of it feels like strategy. It feels like a man who loves his product and has never once had to pretend.

Buffett works as a brand ambassador for the same reason Kempczinski does not: his consumption is entirely unconditional. 

He doesn’t drink Coke because he owns shares. He owns shares because he drinks Coke.

Akio Toyoda didn’t just drive his own product—he raced it. Every summer, he would disappear to the Nürburgring and compete in the 24-hour endurance race as “Morizo,” because Toyota’s leadership considered the whole enterprise an embarrassing distraction. 

There was no factory support, and no official entry. He sourced a second-hand Toyota Altezza, modified it himself, and lined up against development cars from Porsche and BMW. He was overtaken by all of them, repeatedly. Later, he described the humiliation of competitors screaming past him as a defining experience in his leadership journey, and the start of the re-invention of Toyota’s performance division.

Contrast that with Mark Zuckerberg. In 2016, a photo of his MacBook emerged showing his laptop camera and microphone jack sealed with masking tape. This is the CEO of a company that built its entire business model on the premise that sharing your life with the world is natural—a company that faced congressional hearings over surveillance concerns. 

Those little slices of black tape said everything that Zuck’s testimony didn’t. What Zuckerberg the CEO does at work differs from what Mark gets up to when he heads home. 

There’s a simple brief to any CEO suddenly confronted with that most dangerous of things: their own product. Consume it. 

Not once a quarter for a comms team. Regularly, privately, like a normal human being. Eat the burger. Drink that soda. Drive the car. Because in that moment, your product isn’t telling you something about your company. It’s saying something about you. 

Buffett and Toyoda built great companies partly because they closed the distance between their lives and their products. It made them better leaders. 

Let’s rewind the tape. Same burger. Same CEO. Different version. 

Kempczinski opens the box. He doesn’t describe it. He doesn’t call it a product. He says three or four lines. Then he picks it up with both hands—because that’s what you do with a Big Arch—leans forward slightly so the sauce doesn’t hit his shirt, and takes a proper, committed, three-inch bite. He chews. He doesn’t perform the chewing. He just chews.

Maybe he says something, maybe he doesn’t. He doesn’t wave it around. He doesn’t talk about “this thing” like he’s handling evidence. The video ends with him nodding, half the burger still in his hand. It’s the kind of nod that says this is good. That this is all getting eaten. That he wants to be nowhere else than right here, right now. Running McDonald’s, eating McDonald’s. CEO and product in perfect harmony all from one single bite.

Most mornings this year started the same way: an early workout before the house woke up, the chaos of getting kids out the door, a quiet walk before I officially started my day. 

Coffee in hand, I’d run through the decisions waiting for me: Questions about where to take the business, how fast to move, and how much change people could absorb at once. 

Those walks became a moment to prepare myself to lead with both conviction and care before stepping into another day of leading a major transformation. 

After 20 years in this industry and more than a decade in executive leadership, I thought I understood change. I’d helped global brands navigate disruption, led through integrations and restructures. But stepping into the CEO seat at AnswerLab was different. This wasn’t about advising transformation; it was about owning it. 

Here are 7 core lessons I learned from leading through transformation as a first-time CEO.

1. Transformation is emotional 

I knew we needed to pivot. What I didn’t fully anticipate was how deeply that shift would affect the people who had built the business we were evolving. 

AnswerLab had deep roots and a strong sense of identity. My job was to guide it into a new era without losing what made it special. That meant learning where the heartbeat of the company was strongest, what needed to evolve, and what absolutely needed to be protected. It also meant making decisions that prioritized the long-term health of the business, even if they created short-term discomfort. 

I understood the transformation intellectually. What I didn’t anticipate was how exposed it would make me as a leader — how often I’d have to say, “I don’t know yet,” while still asking people to trust where we were headed. That tension defined my first year.

2. Transformation is non-linear 

Transformation is messy, but leading through it isn’t about slowing down; it’s about maintaining pace while becoming more intentional. 

To keep us moving forward without burning people out, we treated it more like an enterprise digital transformation than a traditional organizational change. We shifted to operating in sprints, revisiting priorities every two weeks and stepping back quarterly to assess what was working, what wasn’t, and where we needed to adapt. 

That rhythm allowed us to keep momentum while creating space to listen, learn, and course-correct. It taught me that transformation isn’t linear. It requires resilience, clarity, and a steady hand when things feel unsettled. 

3. Bringing people along is harder than being right 

One of the hardest lessons I learned was that being right about what needs to change doesn’t mean you’ve gotten how to change it right. There were moments when I underestimated the intention behind past decisions, even if they no longer served where we needed to go. 

That forced me to slow down in a different way—by asking better questions. By bringing in advisors. By taking the time to understand not just the strategy, but the emotional connection people had to it. 

There were moments when the most important thing I could do wasn’t explain the strategy, but acknowledge the uncertainty. Naming what I didn’t have fully figured out created space for others to contribute what they saw. Vulnerability didn’t slow us down — it sharpened us. 

And humility didn’t weaken my leadership. It strengthened it. 

4. Leadership sits at the intersection of clarity and connection 

A quarter into the year, we were building our annual plan, and the urgency was real. I took control to create clarity, but I didn’t explain why that was necessary at that moment. For a team used to building things together, it felt abrupt. 

Once I articulated my intention, everything shifted. People understood the need for speed. Trust deepened. Clarity builds connection faster than control or consensus ever could. 

That shift also required rethinking hierarchy—not by removing accountability, but unnecessary barriers to insight. When people felt safe challenging ideas, better thinking surfaced faster. The best signals often came from the people closest to the work. 

Great leaders know when to step in and when to step back. Connection and clarity aren’t opposites. They’re partners. 

5. Letting go doesn’t mean losing accountability 

As your scope of responsibility grows as CEO, so does what you have to let go of. Leading at this level required trusting my team, their teams, and the systems we were putting in place. 

That didn’t mean relinquishing accountability, but evolving how I defined control. I don’t need to hold every lever. I’ve learned to be more discerning about where my presence creates momentum and where it might unintentionally slow things down. 

Leadership at scale isn’t about holding tighter. It’s about trusting deeper. 

6. A curious culture leads to better ideas

If there’s one constant that carried me through this year, it was curiosity. Surrounding myself with people whose strengths outpace my own has been one of the most important decisions I’ve made as CEO. It sharpened the work and raised the bar for all of us. 

Curiosity isn’t passive. It’s the willingness to engage, challenge, and contribute, even when it feels uncomfortable. 

7. Leading doesn’t mean having all of the answers

Clarity doesn’t come from having all the answers, but from creating the conditions where the best answers can surface. My first year as CEO was a master class in courage, clarity, and connection. It deepened my belief that leadership isn’t about control, but trust; it isn’t about perfection, but presence. 

In a time of rapid change, empathy and understanding aren’t just strategic advantages; they allow progress to endure. 

Leadership isn’t about knowing every step of the road ahead. It’s about building a community willing to move forward with intention—one decision, one conversation, and one morning walk at a time.