WPP, the global marketing services group, has appointed Tyler Turnbull as chief executive officer of WPP Creative, with the appointment set to take effect in early 2027 as the company moves to strengthen its creative operations and return to growth.
Turnbull, currently global CEO of McCann, will succeed Jon Cook, who is leaving the company after three decades.
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Cook will remain in his existing roles until March 2027 to support the transition.
Turnbull brings extensive agency leadership experience to the position, having led McCann since December 2025 following Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group.
Before joining McCann’s global leadership, he spent 12 years at FCB, overseeing businesses in Canada, North America and globally.
At WPP Creative, Turnbull will oversee a portfolio of agencies that includes VML, Ogilvy, Grey, Burson, AKQA, Landor, and Design Bridge & Partners.
His mandate will focus on strengthening collaboration across the creative network and connecting its capabilities more closely with WPP’s media, data, production, commerce and technology services.
The company also plans to use WPP Open, its artificial intelligence platform, to make its broader range of services easier for clients to access.
The strategy reflects the growing importance of integrated marketing solutions that combine creative ideas with technology, data and measurable business outcomes.
Commenting on the appointment, WPP CEO Cindy Rose described Turnbull as a leader with the ambition, global perspective and creative conviction required to guide the business through its next phase.
“His appointment reflects our determination to bring together the very best of WPP for our clients, put creativity at the centre of growth and set a new standard for the industry,” Rose said. “I am delighted that he is joining WPP.”
Turnbull said he intends to build a more connected creative organisation while preserving the distinctive identities and cultures of its individual agencies.
“Together with our exceptional teams, my ambition for WPP Creative is to set a new standard for our industry: connected enough to bring WPP’s full strength to every client, distinctive enough to protect the unique magic and cultures of our iconic brands, and extraordinary enough to nurture the industry’s most creative talent as we drive meaningful business growth for our partners,” he said.
The leadership transition also includes a change at VML. Eric Campbell, currently CEO of VML and WPP Creative in North America, will become VML’s global CEO in March 2027 while continuing to lead WPP Creative North America.
WPP Creative was established earlier in 2026 as part of Rose’s efforts to reposition the group for renewed growth.
The unit is expected to bring together the company’s creative capabilities to help clients turn intelligence into ideas, strengthen brand influence and deliver measurable commercial results.
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Turnbull’s appointment therefore represents a significant leadership change for WPP as it seeks to make its global creative network more integrated, technologically enabled and responsive to clients’ evolving marketing needs.
