Marie-Claire Barker Takes on Expanded Role as Chief People Officer, Performance and Culture at WPP

Marie-Claire has taken on the role of Chief People Officer, Performance and Culture at WPP, marking an expansion of her leadership responsibilities as the company sharpens its focus on aligning talent, performance, and organisational culture at a global level.

In this role, Marie-Claire will lead initiatives aimed at strengthening leadership capability, enhancing workforce effectiveness, and embedding a performance-driven culture across the organisation. The move reflects WPP’s evolving approach to people strategy as it continues to scale its operations and adapt to changing industry dynamics.

She transitions into the position after serving as Global Chief People Officer at WPP, where she led the company’s global talent agenda and played a central role in shaping its people and culture framework.

Marie-Claire brings extensive experience across the marketing and communications ecosystem. Prior to WPP, she held senior roles at Edelman and Wavemaker, and spent over a decade at Ogilvy in key HR leadership positions. Earlier in her career, she worked with Virgin Media Business, Pernod Ricard, and Britvic plc, building a strong foundation in talent strategy, organisational development, and culture transformation.

The expanded mandate signals WPP’s emphasis on integrating performance and culture as core drivers of business growth, particularly as organisations across the industry focus on building resilient, future-ready workforces. Marie-Claire’s role is expected to play a key part in shaping how the company evolves its leadership and talent strategy in a rapidly changing market environment.