全球最大广告传播集团WPPCEOMartinSorrell(苏铭天)爵士宣布辞职,此前,他正处在涉嫌不当个人行为的公司调查之中。本周六,WPP集团宣布该消息,而这也宣告Sorrell一手创建并为之奋斗33年之久的广告媒体事业现在落下了句号。 在声明中,WPP表示该项决定即刻生效,WPP现任董事长Roberto Quarta被任命为执行董事长,在公司找到新的合适继任者之前代行CEO职务,在这一过程中,Sorrell将“有机会协助事态的演进。” 公司同时为Sorrell的离开下了定义:73岁的Sorrell将被视为“退休”,并会获得相应的股份奖励。 声明同时表示,此前针对Sorrell爵士的“不当行为调查已经终结”,“指控所涉及的部分并没有绝对实证。”但声明并未提供更多有关调查的发现,或对于Sorrell的辞职起到了哪种作用。 在4月3号,WPP集团启动了针对Sorrell所谓“个人不当行为”的调查行动,WPP发言人Richard Oldworth说目前不能发表任何公司声明之外的言论。 但是在星期六,另一份给员工的声明中,Sorrell说这只是“暂时的中端”,并认为“自己的离开”不过是给企业频添太多不必要的压力。 “所以,我决定为了大家的利益,为了客户的利益,为了所有大股东和小股东的利益,为了所有利益相关者的利益,站到一边去。在过去,我们经历过更大困难的风暴,而我们这些才华横溢的人们,总能将之克服。”Sorrell谈到。 Sorrell爵士的发言人DavidRigg表示,目前没有更多情况可以透露。 在许多人眼中,Sorrell是一个对事业狂热而又健谈的人,他一手支起了巨大的广告帝国,在欧洲和伦敦的权势社交圈中,也总是呼风唤雨的那一个:定期参与达沃斯论坛,在全球各地出席商业活动。2000年,英女王伊丽莎白二世将其封为爵士,这也是他一生当中数不清的荣誉里最高的一个。 Sorrell是第一代英国的犹太移民,他随父母从乌克兰的基辅来到英国,1975年加入盛世长城(Saatchi & Saatchi)是他广告人生中的最重要一步。他随后快速晋升,并很快成为与创始人并驾齐驱的重要人物,被业内成为“the third brother”。 1985年,Sorrell完成了一项让人不可思议的豪赌,收购一家英国制造商公司,并将之改造为一家全球广告传播集团,在短短三年之内收购了18家与广告相关的企业。 1989年,他突然以8.25亿美元的价格收购了全球最有影响力的广告代理商,Ogilvy& Mather,奥美。并继续吞噬其他广告公司,如扬罗必凯(Young& Rubicam)。 Sorrell行事铁腕,并将其用于自己的人设当中。今天,WPP在全球112个国家拥有总计130000名员工,估值220亿英镑,约合310亿美元。 在将自己打造为商业明星的同时,Sorrell也收获了相应的代价,人们对于他日益奢侈的薪酬组合颇为反感。 从2012年开始,WPP总计支付给Sorrell2.1亿英镑,成为所有在FTSE上市的公司,薪酬最高的CEO。在WPP的2016年度大会上,1/3的投资者否决了对其首席执行官Sir Martin Sorrell支付7千万英镑的工资协议。 从那之后开始,股东们便拒绝支付给Sorrell更大的薪酬,并不断批评WPP的管理方式,以及Sorrell所创造的以领导为核心的企业文化。 WPP的广告业务近年来已经发生诸多变化,如对广告预算的使用进行改革,将更多资源向在线广告倾斜,但增长却不甚乐观,其竞争对手宏盟和阳狮集团同样如此。 苏铭天爵士写给全集团的告别信 To everyone at WPP: For the past 33 years, I have spent every single day thinking about the future of WPP. Over those decades, our family has grown and prospered. We welcomed J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy, Young & Rubicam, Grey, 24/7 Real Media, Taylor Nelson Sofres, among so many others. We created GroupM, including Xaxis and Essence. We put the focus on Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and Central Eastern Europe, the home of the next billion consumers. We embarked on the early development of digital capabilities; and the evolution of a firm-wide integrated client and country-centered approach. Our holding company was recognized as the world's best and most effective through the Cannes Lions and Effie Awards year after year after year. We pioneered Atticus Awards for original written thinking…. the WPP Fellowship Awards to recognize promising talent…. the Partnership and Practice Awards for client endorsed integrated market and case studies. Our Stream digital conferences have attracted the best in the digital business for more than a decade. Our Annual Sustainability and Pro Bono Reports highlight the unique social, environmental and public policy work that we do day in, day out across the globe. As I look ahead, I see that the current disruption we are experiencing is simply putting too much unnecessary pressure on the business, our over 200,000 people and their 500,000 or so dependents, and the clients we serve in 112 countries. That is why I have decided that in your interest, in the interest of our clients, in the interest of all shareowners, both big and small, and in the interest of all our other stakeholders, it is best for me to step aside. We have had a succession plan in place for some time. A new generation of management, led by Mark Read and Andrew Scott (who have each been at WPP for approximately 20 years), are well qualified and experienced in the Board's opinion, to deal with the geographic and technological opportunities and challenges our industry faces. We have weathered difficult storms in the past. And our highly talented people have always won through, always. Nobody, either direct competitors or newly-minted ones can beat the WPP team, as long as you work closely together, whether by client and/or country or digitally.ther stakeholders, it is best for me to step aside. In the coming period, I will be available to the Board and any of you, should you want help with anything, anywhere. I shall miss all of you greatly. You have given me such excitement and energy and I wanted to thank you for everything you have done and will do for WPP and me. As some of you know, my family has expanded recently, WPP will always be my baby too. As a Founder, I can say that WPP is not just a matter of life or death, it was, is and will be more important than that. Good fortune and Godspeed to all of you…now Back to the Future. Thank you. |