Baiju Shah Appointed Group Chief Strategy Officer at WPP

WPP has appointed Baiju Shah as Group Chief Strategy Officer, a move that further strengthens the company's leadership team as it advances its long-term growth agenda and AI-driven transformation strategy. In this expanded role, Shah will work closely with WPP's management team and Board to help shape the company's strategic direction, investment priorities, and future growth opportunities.

Baiju will be responsible for accelerating the delivery of WPP's long-term strategy while identifying and unlocking new corporate development opportunities across the organization. His remit includes helping determine where WPP should invest, how it can create sustainable competitive advantage, and how emerging technologies can be translated into differentiated offerings for clients.

The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the global marketing and communications industry, as organizations increasingly seek to harness artificial intelligence, data, creativity, and technology to drive business growth. WPP sees Baiju's blend of strategic leadership, technology expertise, and innovation experience as critical to helping the company navigate this rapidly evolving landscape.

His new role places him at the center of WPP's efforts to transform emerging technologies and frontier client work into scalable business opportunities and competitive differentiation.

Baiju will continue to serve as CEO of AKQA, bringing the agency's innovation-led perspective into a broader strategic role across the WPP ecosystem. His dual responsibilities are expected to create stronger alignment between innovation, client needs, and long-term corporate strategy.

Before joining WPP, Baiju served as Global Chief Strategy Officer at Accenture Song, where he helped shape growth strategy, acquisition initiatives, and AI-enabled transformation programs. A co-founder of Accenture Song, he played a key role in building one of the industry's most influential creative and technology consulting organizations. He also co-led Fjord, growing the design and innovation consultancy into a globally recognized business spanning dozens of markets.

WPP CEO Cindy Rose highlighted Shah's unique combination of strategic thinking, technology expertise, and understanding of evolving client needs, noting that he will play an important role in accelerating the company's Elevate28 strategy and positioning WPP for its next phase of growth. Meanwhile, Shah emphasized the unprecedented opportunities being created by technological change and expressed enthusiasm about helping clients create competitive advantage in an increasingly dynamic environment.

The appointment underscores WPP's continued commitment to AI, innovation, and strategic transformation as the company looks to redefine how brands create growth in a rapidly changing marketplace.

As marketing organizations increasingly seek integrated solutions spanning creativity, data, technology, and AI, Shah's appointment signals WPP's intention to remain at the forefront of industry transformation while helping clients navigate the next wave of disruption and opportunity.

 

About WPP

WPP is one of the world's leading marketing and communications companies, serving many of the world's most recognized brands. The company combines media, creativity, data, technology, production, and strategic consulting capabilities to help clients drive growth and transformation. Through its AI-powered platform, WPP Open, the company continues to invest in innovation and next-generation marketing solutions.