WPP Brand & Design has announced a new global leadership structure under recently appointed Global CEO Jane Geraghty, designed to connect its expansive specialist capabilities across its portfolio of agencies and help clients build more distinctive, multi-sensorial, future-ready brands in an increasingly AI-driven market.

The WPP Brand & Design collective brings together growing specialist capabilities across leading brands including Landor, Design Bridge and Partners, amp, ManvsMachine, Coley Porter Bell, BDG, CBA Design, and DeepLocal – spanning brand consulting, identity, sonic branding, motion, experience and governance, underpinned by performance and WPP’s Open Intelligence – while maintaining the distinct strengths and cultures of each.

The new leadership structure aligns growth, client leadership and deep category expertise across the portfolio, connecting clients with the right capabilities to solve increasingly complex brand and business challenges.

Clients can draw on what Geraghty calls “a curated collective of capabilities”, bringing together specialist expertise across consulting, design and experience, underpinned by common tech and data, in combinations tailored to their business challenges – with WPP Brand & Design rapidly scaling and investing in the capabilities driving that growth.

The evolution reflects growing demand from clients for more connected brand capabilities as businesses face increasing pressure to differentiate, drive long-term growth and build brands that can move people and influence agentic choice in an increasingly automated world.

“Brand is moving back to the centre of business strategy and branding is a top priority for major clients. Our evolved WPP Brand & Design structure strikes a critical balance: the integration of common data, technology, and consulting to intelligently scale the business of branding – enabling us to predict financial outcomes of brand decisions. At the same time, championing specialist design craft, delivering bespoke solutions that deeply connect with human emotion. This means we can collectively deliver branding systems that drive business, move people and influence agentic choice.”

— Jane Geraghty, Global CEO, WPP Brand & Design and Global CEO, Landor

The structure is underpinned by a strengthened global leadership team focused on growth, client experience and delivery across the network.

It is designed to give clients a more unified point of access to the group’s capabilities, creating a more connected client experience and improving speed to impact.

Emma Beckmann, Global Chief Growth Officer at Landor, has been appointed Global Chief Growth Officer, WPP Brand & Design. With over two decades at the business, she has played a central role in shaping Landor’s global growth strategy and expanding client and market development across the network.

Ann Higgins, formerly EMEA CEO of Ogilvy Consulting, joins as Global Chief Client Officer, WPP Brand & Design and Design Bridge and Partners. She has spent over two decades at Ogilvy, most recently leading its consulting business in EMEA, and will lead a more connected approach to client leadership, with Geraghty and Design Bridge & Partners Global CEO, John Morris, across the group’s portfolio of brands, bringing deep experience advising global organisations on growth, transformation and customer strategy.

“This structure is about bringing together deep expertise across brand, design and experience in a way that’s more connected, more agile and more impactful. It allows us to move more fluidly across capabilities and markets – connecting the right thinking around the client’s problem, rather than asking clients to navigate our structure.”

— Emma Beckmann, Global Chief Growth Officer, WPP Brand & Design

“In today’s era of the algorithm, brands need to be optimized for machines, strategically positioned in fast-changing markets, and crafted for human connection to capture growth. I’m delighted to join WPP Brand & Design to help our clients and teams realise this exciting potential, connecting our deep expertise from brand consulting and strategy to design, experience, and innovation to ultimately deliver growth and brand value.”

— Ann Higgins, Global Chief Client Officer, WPP Brand & Design

The new leadership structure reflects a wider shift in how organisations are approaching brand.

“After years of prioritising short-term performance, many organisations are now rebalancing towards brand as a driver of long-term growth – recognising that without clear differentiation, they risk becoming invisible in an increasingly automated market,” said Geraghty.

WPP Brand & Design is focused on helping clients connect brand strategy, design and experience in ways that are more differentiated, coherent and easier to measure at scale.