WPP appoints Mark Taylor as chief people officer; Marie-Claire Barker takes on performance & culture role

In a fresh leadership move tied closely to its ongoing transformation, WPP has appointed Mark Taylor as its new global chief people officer, signaling a sharper push on talent strategy under its Elevate28 roadmap.

The appointment comes as the advertising giant accelerates its three-year Elevate28 strategy, launched earlier this year, to simplify operations, integrate capabilities, and build a more agile, tech-enabled organisation. 

Taylor, who most recently served as chief people advisor at LEGO Group, is expected to play a key role in reshaping WPP’s workforce model.

He will work alongside Marie-Claire Barker, who has been serving as global chief people officer since June 2025 and is now transitioning into the role of Chief People Officer, Performance & Culture. Together, the leadership team is tasked with modernising WPP’s people function and aligning it with a high-performance culture increasingly driven by AI and digital tools.

“We’re delighted to welcome Mark Taylor as WPP’s new Chief People Officer and to announce that Marie-Claire Barker is taking on a new role as Chief People Officer, Performance & Culture,” the company said in a statement.

Commenting on the leadership transition, WPP CEO Cindy Rose said, “This combination gives me incredible confidence in our ability to modernize our People function at pace,” highlighting the company’s ambition to position itself as a leading destination for talent in a rapidly evolving advertising landscape.

Taylor brings decades of HR leadership experience across global brands. At LEGO, he led board and CEO-level hiring, restructured the HR function, and oversaw leadership assessments across the group’s ecosystem, including Merlin Entertainments. His earlier tenure as chief people officer at Burberry saw him help transform the organisation into a digitally forward luxury retailer, while at King, he played a key role in redesigning its operating model and supporting its integration with Activision Blizzard.

Taylor’s appointment follows closely on the heels of Anne-Isabelle Choueiri joining as chief transformation officer, reflecting a broader leadership build-out to execute WPP’s strategic overhaul.

The move builds on recent shifts in WPP’s people leadership. Lindsay Pattison was appointed global chief people officer in October 2023, succeeding Jennifer Remling, and formally took on the role in January 2024. Pattison stepped down in early 2025, announcing a career break after more than 16 years with the company.

With Taylor stepping into the top HR role and Barker focusing on performance and culture, WPP appears to be doubling down on its belief that future growth will hinge not just on creative and client capabilities, but on how effectively it can reimagine its workforce for an AI-first era.