GroupM, WPP’s media investment group, today announced that Demet Ikiler has been named EMEA CEO, effective immediately. Ikiler, who will serve on GroupM’s Global Executive Committee, will lead GroupM’s operations in the region while remaining WPP Country Manager in Turkey, a role she took on in 2013. Her role was most recently held by Dominic Grainger, who transitioned to WPP as CEO of Specialist Communications as of September 2019.
Ikiler is now responsible for strategy and operations in one of the world’s largest regions across GroupM’s agencies, including Mindshare, MediaCom, Wavemaker, Essence, m/Six and Xaxis. GroupM EMEA operates in 27 markets and manages $18 billion in media investment billings, with 32 percent market share and approximately 16,000 colleagues (COMvergence, 2019). She will also continue to oversee the success of all WPP business in Turkey, where GroupM is currently a market leader. In addition to being the WPP Country Manager, she has also been the GroupM CEO in Turkey since 2011. She joined the group in 2000 as CEO of Mindshare.
“Demet has been an incredible asset to both GroupM and WPP for 20 years, helping to rapidly grow GroupM in the Turkish market during her time as CEO,” said Christian Juhl, Global CEO. “Her openness to the pace of change and understanding the benefits of an emerging global technology and services capability makes her the type of leader we look for at GroupM. She has a tremendous passion for our clients, our people and the advertising industry, with the goal of making advertising work better for all people. I see her as a leader that understands both our clients’ need for growth and our agencies’ ability to thrive and differentiate.”
“After spending 20 years building GroupM and WPP’s presence in Turkey, I’m excited and honored to lead the EMEA region,” said Ikiler. “I look forward to working closely with our exceptional senior leadership team and partners across our agencies to capture a new era of growth for our clients.”
Ikiler, who is extremely passionate about sustainability, gender equality and diversity & inclusion, was recognized for her contributions in 2019, being one of only two Turkish women named to the list of Global HERoes Top 100. She is also VP at the United Nation Global Compact, leading the diversity and inclusion chapter. And, Demet was recognized by Ad Age “Women to Watch” in the global leader category in 2013. She will split her time between Istanbul, where her family and dog live, and London.
