Public Relations: The Story Behind a Remarkable Renaissance

November 5, 2008 –
The Yale Club
New York, NY

Sir Martin Sorrell founded WPP in 1985 and has been chief executive throughout its history. During that period, WPP has grown rapidly to become one of the world’s leading communications services groups.

WPP companies offer a wide range of services to national, multinational and global clients. These include advertising, media investment management, information, insight and consultancy, public relations and public affairs, branding and identity, healthcare communications, direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing, and specialist communications. The worldwide group operates in 106 countries.

Before founding WPP, Sir Martin held a number of senior positions. From 1977 to 1984, he was group finance director of the advertising agency group Saatchi & Saatchi, and instrumental in planning and implementing its international expansion. He worked as a business and financial adviser to British food retail entrepreneur James Gulliver at Argyll, and managed the commercial and financial affairs of sports personalities and celebrities with the Mark McCormack Organisation in London. Sir Martin began his career as a marketing associate with Glendinning & Associates of Westport, Connecticut.

Sir Martin is an economics graduate of Cambridge University with an MBA from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration. In 2001 he received an honorary doctorate in business administration from London Guildhall University. In 1998, Sir Martin was appointed to the Board of Dean’s Advisers of Harvard Business School and to the board of the Indian School of Business. He is a governor of London Business School, a memb

er of the advisory board of IESE in Spain and also on the Dean’s Advisory Council for Boston University School of Management, and Deputy Chairman, London Business School.

In 1997, Sir Martin was appointed as an Ambassador for British Business by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. He is a trustee of the Conference Board, the New York based business organization. In 2006 he was appointed non-executive director of Formula 1. In 2007 he was awarded the Harvard Business School Alumni Achievement Award.

Martin Sorrell was knighted in the Millennium New Year Honours list.