MAM
WPP appoints Mark Taylor as chief people officer in leadership reshuffle
Marie-Claire Barker moves to culture role as Cindy Rose builds new team
MUMBAI: WPP has appointed Mark Taylor as its new chief people officer, bringing in a seasoned HR leader as part of a broader leadership reshuffle under chief executive Cindy Rose, according to media reports.
Taylor succeeds Marie-Claire Barker, who will transition into a specialised role focused on performance and culture, reporting to him. The move is seen as part of WPP’s effort to sharpen its organisational structure and align talent strategy with its transformation agenda.
With more than three decades of experience, Taylor brings a diverse track record across industries including pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, retail and digital entertainment. He most recently served as chief people advisor at The LEGO Group, where he worked closely with top leadership on board and executive appointments, governance and organisational strategy.
Prior to that, he held senior HR leadership roles at Burberry and King, where he played a key role in organisational transformation and integration efforts, including the company’s alignment with Activision Blizzard. Earlier in his career, Taylor also worked with Kimberly-Clark and GlaxoSmithKline.
His cross-sector experience is expected to support WPP’s three-year ‘Elevate 28’ turnaround plan, which focuses on simplifying operations, strengthening capabilities and driving sustainable growth.
The appointment marks the second major leadership hire under Rose in a week. Recently, WPP named Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer, bringing in additional firepower to execute its strategic overhaul. Choueiri previously held a senior transformation role at Estée Lauder Companies.
The leadership changes signal a clear push by WPP to blend experience with transformation as it navigates a rapidly evolving advertising landscape. With Taylor now steering the people agenda, the company appears focused on ensuring its talent strategy keeps pace with its broader ambitions.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
