Wunderman Thompson Australia and New Zealand chief executive officer, John Gutteridge, has left the agency. He is to be replaced by Lee Leggett.
Gutteridge stated, “Once I decided to return to Australia, WPP AUNZ asked me to lead the merger of Wunderman and J Walter Thompson in Australia and New Zealand. It’s been a fulfilling experience and thanks to the hard work of the team we’ve got a very strong proposition. But with the two brands now successfully working together and the business heading into its next phase, it was always my intention to hand the business over once the merger was complete. It’s the perfect time for Lee to take over and I wish her all the very best. I’m now moving onto a new and very different opportunity, which I’m feeling really energised by, I look forward to sharing more details in due course. My time with WPP and Wunderman Thompson has been a very positive experience, providing the chance to work with some really talented and inspiring people from around the world, I look forward to watching their continued success.”
WPP AUNZ chief executive officer, Jens Monsees, commented, “We would like to thank John for his commitment to the business and helping to achieve the successful merger of Wunderman Thompson to become the data and technology powerhouse it now is. We wish him well for the future.”
Leggett has spent the past four years consulting to a range of leading agencies including Havas and Publicis, in addition to working with WPP AUNZ’s Hogarth and other company brands on production partnerships. Prior to this, she held a number of senior management roles including CEO of Initiative, CEO of Dare, and Managing Director of Grand Union working in both London and Sydney. She brings to Wunderman Thompson more than 20 years’ digital and international experience and a unique skillset having deep digital capability combined with advertising agency and media agency experience.
Monsees added, “Lee is a consummate leader driven by a focus on delivering impact through partnership, relationships and collaboration. Together, Lee and her team will start a new era at Wunderman Thompson utilising her vast digital knowledge and international experience to closely align the brand with the global WT positioning. I look forward to her contribution to the broader company, as we continue our transformation.”
Leggett stated, “I’m delighted to be joining the Wunderman Thompson business. I’ve always looked for opportunities that provide the chance to both lead and work side by side with teams that are driven by new and innovative approaches. I believe I’ve found that at Wunderman Thompson and am looking forward to working with Jens and the broader global team as we further consolidate the agency’s leading market position.”
She starts immediately and will be based at Wunderman Thompson’s Sydney office.
Gutteridge rose rapidly through management during his twenty-year career, becoming chief executive officer of JWT ANZ in 2011. He was then appointed the youngest ever chief executive officer of JWT and Mirum Asia Pacific in mid-2016, returning to Australia in March 2019 to head up Wunderman Thompson across Australia and New Zealand, and at the request of WPP AUNZ, to specifically oversee the integration of the J. Walter Thompson and the Wunderman brands.