There must have been times over the past few years when Chris Wade (below), WPP’s top PR, felt he should don a tin hat as he entered WPP’s gleaming South Bank HQ. The fall-out from Sir Martin Sorrell’s acrimonious departure; successor Mark Read’s travails as he tried to simplify WPP, poor results, Read’s unpopular back-to-the office edict and, latterly, the unfolding redundancies at media operation GroupM (about to be WPP Media.)
Wade is now stepping down to be succeeded as global director of communications and corporate affairs (at least we think that’s to be his title) by Michael Frohlich (left) returning to WPP after a stint as global chief client transformation officer and EMEA CEO of Weber Shandwick (these titles really are becoming a parody of themselves.) Frohlich previously led Ogilvy PR across EMEA and was then promoted to UK CEO of WPP’s Ogilvy Group, succeeding Annette King.
This wasn’t an unvarnished success: among his moves was shunting agency CEO Charlie Rudd to chief client officer in yet another WPP reconstruction that failed to deliver. Rudd left three months later and now sits atop Publicis’ rather more successful agency line-up in the UK.
Read says in a note to staff: “Chris worked very closely with me on creating the ‘new WPP’ – helping to rebrand the company and to establish a new voice and culture at the heart of the business rooted in respect and inclusion.” Read added that Wade had shown “deep experience, astute judgement and steadfast support for his colleagues” throughout his tenure.
Wade, a former national newspaper journalist, was, indeed, good at his job. Maybe one of the last older style top level PRs who saw some of his job, anyway, as helping out inquisitive hacks when circumstances allowed. In this he followed an accomplished performer in one-time FT journalist Feona McEwan, a staunch supporter of the hyper-competitive Sorrell who could leave you half-believing Sorrell really was a bit of a pussycat who wanted the best for everyone.
Today’s PR’s (most of whom have never written a new story in their lives) see themselves more as warriors in the corporate trenches, keeping the media and other nuisances as distant as possible. Frohlich’s appointment has presumably been OK’d by WPP chairman Philip Jansen as he waits to hire Read’s successor. It’s to be hoped that Frohlich, agreeable and personable as he is, follows in some of the footsteps of his predecessors. Companies need friends as well as opponents.
