After 14 years as chief executive of Wunderman, Daniel Morel announced that he will hand the reigns to Mark Read, CEO of WPP Digital, on February 1. Morel will become non-executive chairman of Wunderman, and Read will continue to lead WPP Digital.
Morel took the world’s first direct marketing agency—started in 1958 in a New York City hotel room by Lester Wunderman—and turned it into a digital-direct force in the agency business. In so doing, he acquired 18 interactive and analytics companies, from AGENDA to ZAAZ.
A player at the top levels of direct marketing, Morel served on the media and entertainment council of the World Economic Forum, president of the direct jury of the Cannes Lions awards, and chair of the marketing and communications committee at Direct Marketing Association.
“Under Daniel’s leadership, Wunderman has become a global powerhouse that is consistently ranked among the world’s top digital agencies,” says WPP CEO Martin Sorrell.
Read worked at WPP from 1989 to 1995 before leaving in 2002 to become a principal at Booz-Allen Hamilton, working on entertainment accounts such as Universal, Viacom, and the BBC. He became executive director of WPP in 2005 and was named chairman of Wunderman in June.
In stepping down, Morel called out the founder. “It has been a privilege to follow in the steps of Lester Wunderman at the head of this great company,” he said. “I cannot be more proud of what the team has achieved over the past 14 years.”
