BT CEO Philip Jansen Sounded Out on WPP Chairman Role – Report

Sky News reported that Jansen, who is to step down from BT in the spring, is one of a number of prospective candidates to have been sounded out in recent weeks about the post. 

WPP signalled last year that it had begun succession planning to find a replacement for Roberto Quarta, its chairman since 2015. 

Last year, BT appointed Allison Kirkby as chief executive to replace Jansen, effective from around the end of this month. 

BT had previously said Jansen would remain as CEO until Kirkby took over, and he would be available to support the handover until the end of March, at which point he intended to retire from executive life. 

City sources told Sky News that WPP’s search was not yet at an advanced stage and there was no certainty that Jansen or WPP would decide to progress his candidacy further. 

A former boss at MyTravel and Worldpay, Jansen began his career at Procter & Gamble. 

Headquartered in London, WPP’s subsidiaries include Grey, Ogilvy, VMLY&R, Group M and Wunderman Thompson.