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WPP acquires Canada’s john st.
MUMBAI: Global communications network WPP has acquired Canadian creative agency john st.
Founded in 2001 and based in Toronto, john st. employs approximately 100 people and has unaudited revenues for the year ended 31 December 2012 of approximately $14.0 million.
The acquisition of john st. strengthens WPP‘s presence in Canada. “We see enormous value in being part of WPP,” said john st. president Arthur Fleischmann. “We‘ll now be able to augment our current services in areas that clients are asking for, such as media, direct and public relations.”
john st.‘s clients include AstraZeneca, Kruger, ING Direct, Maple Leaf Foods and Tata. Over the last 12 years, john st. has built an international reputation as one of Canada‘s leading innovative creative agencies. It was recently named Silver Agency of the Year as well as Silver Digital Agency of the Year by Strategy, a leading Canadian marketing publication.
WPP is the leading communications services group in Canada. WPP remains committed to building and broadening its client offer in the mature economies of the world. Collectively (including associates), the Group has revenues of $450 million and employs more than 2,500 people in Canada. WPP companies represented in the market include JWT, Ogilvy, GroupM, Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Burson-Marsteller. In 2010, WPP‘s wholly-owned subsidiary Young & Rubicam Group acquired the Toronto-based TAXI creative network.
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Microsoft names Asha Sharma CEO of Gaming division
Nadella appoints AI exec to lead Xbox after Phil Spencer’s retirement; 500 million MAUs mark new era from 20 February 2026.
MUMBAI: Xbox just levelled up its leadership and this time the boss comes with an AI cheat code. On 20 February 2026, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced Asha Sharma as the new executive vice president and CEO of Microsoft Gaming, overseeing the Xbox empire from Redmond, Washington. She steps into the role after Phil Spencer, who led the division since 2014, announced his retirement. The move follows the earlier departure of Xbox president Sarah Bond.
Nadella, writing on the Microsoft Corporate blog said, “I am long on gaming and its role at the center of our consumer ambition… Asha has helped build and scale services that reach billions of people and support thriving consumer and developer ecosystems.” He highlighted Sharma’s track record scaling platforms at global level from her time as chief operating officer at Instacart and vice president at Meta Platforms to her recent stint as president of Microsoft’s CoreAI product division since joining in 2024.
Sharma, a Carlson School of Management graduate with a BSc in Business, has held product leadership roles at Meta, board seats at Home Depot and Coupang, and worked on AI initiatives like Foundry, a platform embedding AI models into third-party apps. She described gaming as “a fusion of art and technology, empowering creators worldwide to push the boundaries of hardware and software.”
Microsoft Gaming boasts more than 500 million monthly active users, cementing its spot as one of the world’s top platforms. This autumn marks the 25th anniversary of the division (the original Xbox launched in 2001), a milestone Sharma will steer alongside renewed AI-driven innovation.
Matt Booty, head of Microsoft’s gaming studios, will report to Sharma as executive vice president and chief content officer. Nadella praised the duo for blending consumer product savvy with deep gaming expertise to fuel platform advances and content pipelines.
Industry eyes are fixed on how Xbox consoles fare against Sony and Nintendo amid fierce competition. Whether Sharma’s AI background sparks a new golden age for Xbox or simply keeps the lights on remains the big boss-level question but one thing’s clear, the next chapter of gaming at Microsoft just got a fresh player with serious strategic depth.
