Three years ago, GroupM Global Chairman Irwin Gotlieb foresaw a future that would be “much more performance-based” and focused on outcomes as opposed to media delivery. “I believe that it will be enabled by granularity of data, census-level data. Instead of broad-scale attribution modeling it will be census-level attribution calculations,” Gotlieb said at the time.
Now, with his predictions having become everyday reality, Gotlieb is transitioning from Global Chairman of GroupM to a senior advisory role within GroupM parent WPP.
“Irwin has always been the driving force behind the creation and development of first, Mindshare, then GroupM, and more recently WPP’s focus on developing our technology assets, first-party data and content,” WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said in a release from GroupM. “We will not miss him, however, as he will continue to be available to the Group as a trusted strategic advisor.”
In the same release, Gotlieb said, “I’m fortunate for the many opportunities this industry has afforded me, and I enter this new chapter with tremendous gratitude and optimism. I thank Sir Martin for his support over the years, and I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to WPP’s continued market leadership in an advisory role.”
Among many other accomplishments in his esteemed career, Gotlieb established the first spinout of a standalone media agency, MediaVest, 25 years ago.
GroupM’s first Global CEO on its founding in 2003, Gotlieb became Global Chairman in 2012. Kelly Clark was named Global CEO of GroupM in 2016 and will continue to lead the media investment group of WPP.
“Irwin is a one-of-a-kind visionary, and his mark on our company and the entire media business is indelible,” Clark said in the release. “I am one of many in this industry who count Irwin as a friend and mentor. We’re glad that he will still be available to us and our clients in his new role.”
Gotlieb joined WPP in 1999 to serve as the first Global CEO for Mindshare and subsequently launched GroupM globally. He was the first media agency executive inducted into both the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame in (2017) and the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame (2007).
In light of the news regarding Gotlieb, Beet.TV is republishing this video from 2015 in which he is interviewed by David Moore, who is Chairman of Xaxis. It was one of a series of interviews with senior industry leaders.
This video is one of 25 Beet.TV videos with Gotlieb produced at many locations around the globe and at Beet.TV events. Please find all the clips here.
