WPP Media appoints Laura Ryan as chief media officer

Big hire, bigger brief. WPP Media has landed Laura Ryan, one of the most seasoned operators in global media, as its chief media officer. The former global chief executive of Orion Worldwide will oversee global investment, partnerships, media management and activation teams. In a market where clients want sharper products, smarter technology and proof of value, that is a job with real weight.

Ryan will work closely with global client teams and the technology organisation to develop products aimed at driving value for marketers and partners. She will also work with the company’s partners and its technology and client leadership as WPP Media looks to expand its media capabilities. The message is clear: media, clients and technology are being pulled into a tighter orbit, and Ryan sits at the centre of it.

Her credentials are hard to argue with. Ryan joins from IPG, where she most recently served as global chief executive of Orion Worldwide from April 2022 to June 2026. She spent more than 15 years at Orion, holding several senior leadership positions across client services, media, operations and product development. That is a rare mix. Few executives have run the client desk, the buying engine and the product shop under one roof.

Before taking the top job, Ryan was global president of Orion from January 2021 to April 2022. In that role she drove profitability and growth across the company’s operations in 27 global markets, while expanding its product offering and developing its leadership teams. She was also global client officer at Orion, working with global clients and Mediabrands agencies across multiple regions. Earlier, she held the position of chief client officer, US, and was president of Orion US between 2012 and 2015.

The résumé runs deeper. Earlier in her Orion career, Ryan was evp, director of client and media services and svp, client services. She also led OPEN, Orion’s proprietary programmatic media offering, as global president between May and December 2020. Programmatic experience of that kind is exactly what a modern investment and activation function needs.

Her career in media and advertising spans more than three decades. Before joining Orion, she was corporate sales director at Bonnier Corporation and eastern sales manager at Mountain Sports Media and Time Inc. She also held roles at Rodale and Ziff Davis before beginning her career at Universal McCann, where she worked as associate media director from 1995 to 2000. Sell-side and buy-side, publisher and agency: she has seen the whole board.

According to WPP Media, Ryan brings experience across client leadership, product innovation, operational transformation and talent development. The company said her experience in bringing together clients, teams and partners would support its efforts to turn new ideas and capabilities into business outcomes.

WPP Media ceo Brian Lesser welcomed Ryan in a separate LinkedIn post, saying she would help lead the company’s next phase of innovation across investment and activation, while working closely with partners and client and technology leaders.

“Our industry is changing fast and opening up incredible opportunities for innovation and growth. Bringing media, clients, and technology closer together is how we turn those opportunities into better outcomes for clients,” he said.

He further added, “That’s why I’m thrilled Laura Ryan is joining us at WPP Media as Chief Media Officer from IPG/Orion Worldwide. Laura knows how to connect client needs with new capabilities and bring people together to make it happen. She’ll help lead our next phase of innovation across activation and investment.”

The timing is telling. Ryan’s appointment comes as WPP continues to integrate media, technology and data capabilities across its global operations. WPP Media has also recently highlighted its focus on expanding its media capabilities and client partnerships. The company said earlier this month that it recorded the industry’s largest combined volume of new business wins and account retentions in the first half of 2026, according to COMvergence’s H1 Net New Business report.

Momentum in the pitch room, a proven operator in the media engine room. For WPP Media, the pieces are falling neatly into place.