The former global chief executive of Possible, Shane Atchison, will return to WPP to lead Wunderman Thompson’s North American business, while J Walter Thompson North America chief, Simon Pearce, is to depart the agency later next year.
Atchison is currently chief marketing officer at Domo, a cloud-based software company he joined in 2017. He previously ran Possible as global chief executive for the five years prior.
Atchison will report to Wunderman Thompson’s global chief executive, Mel Edwards, from January 2019.
“Shane is an innovative leader with a proven track record for helping clients benefit from creativity, data strategies and technology platforms to inspire growth,” wrote Edwards in a note to staff. “These are exactly the skills Wunderman Thompson needs to take us to the next level of success.”
Meanwhile Pearce will remain with the company throughout Q1 to help with the business’ transition into a merged unit.
Wunderman North America’s chief executive, Seth Solomons, will move to an as-yet-unknown role in WPP, where he will continue to “leverage his client relationships and capabilities in a new role there”, according to the internal memo.
Wunderman Thompson’s chairman, Tamara Ingram, added: “As we enter this new era, we firmly believe Wunderman Thompson’s creative, data and technology capabilities are truly poised to inspire opportunities for our talent and growth for our clients.”