SVP, Clients
About WPP Media
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. With exceptional talent, trusted data and intelligence, and world‑class partnerships – all united by our pioneering, agentic marketing platform, WPP Open – we help clients navigate change, capture opportunity, and deliver transformational growth.
About Wavemaker
Wavemaker positively provokes growth for clients by reshaping consumer decision‑making and experiences through media, content, and technology. Our name is both our mission and our method. We do our best work for brave brands and people who relish being challenged to go further and faster, together.
About the Role
Are you passionate about clients and their business, leading teams to create unrivalled work that grows our client’s business and builds long‑term relationships? Wavemaker UK is looking for an ambitious SVP, Clients to join our Client Leadership Community – the voice of our clients in the agency. As the voice of the client across the agency, we’re focused on ensuring our clients have their best agency experience during their time with Wavemaker.
In This Role, You Will
- Have ultimate responsibility for the clients within your patch.
- Use a deep understanding of a client’s business, industry, and category to act as a trusted business advisor beyond media communications to facilitate growth.
- Build deep C‑suite relationships with the client and all of the client’s agencies, fully understanding commercial opportunities.
- Ensure your team works collaboratively with the specialists within the matrix, continually guaranteeing the delivery of unrivalled work.
- Drive profitable business solutions for Wavemaker, leveraging client commercials and team strengths.
Commercial and Operational Excellence
- Own the financial control and profitability of the clients in your patch, ensuring delivery within SOW and a profitable framework.
- Lead and create compelling contract renewal offers that are mutually beneficial to Wavemaker and clients.
Vision, Collaboration & Alignment
- Collaborate across the Wavemaker Network, GroupM and WPP to identify products and services that support the growth of clients in the UK.
- Engage C‑suite stakeholders in your vision for business growth and demonstrate progress towards these goals.
Recognising and Converting Opportunities
- Use a deep understanding of client requirements to develop new products and solutions that support growth, working with the right partners to deliver this.
- Identify opportunities beyond the core team that can support revenue and drive growth by understanding the full operating structure of the client.
New Business
- Run large‑scale, multimarket, multi‑stakeholder pitches, ensuring senior internal stakeholders are engaged at the right time.
- Motivate and challenge the team around pitches to ensure a positive experiential outcome.
- Present at industry and client events to deliver thought leadership and identify new business potential.
Skills and Experience
- Practice Area Knowledge: Demonstrate deep knowledge of the agency’s and client’s organisational structure, client relationships, business strategy, industry, and challenges.
- Problem Solving: Identify and address unexpected situations or difficult challenges, assessing problems and delivering effective solutions with the right stakeholders.
- Stakeholder Relationships: Function as a trusted advisor to clients, understanding key decision‑makers and maintaining a network of industry relationships across media owners, WPP/GroupM stakeholders, auditors, etc.
- Effective Communication: Use a variety of skills to create discussion, reach agreement, and influence outcomes that affect others’ actions and opinions.
- Commercial & Operational Excellence: Understand the commercial and operational running of the agency and client, cascading knowledge and ensuring the right level of expertise across the team.
- Recognising and Converting Opportunities: Grow the agency’s scope beyond core deliverables by spotting opportunities, communicating benefits to the client, handling objections, and project‑managing opportunities to successful conversion.
- New Business: Play an active role in new business initiatives to drive agency growth.
- Vision, Collaboration & Alignment: Serve as the voice of the client inside the agency, ensuring effective representation in internal forums and driving the agency’s vision for the work created.
Life at WPP Media & Benefits
Our passion for shaping the next era of media is powered by our commitment to be extraordinary, investing in our employees to inspire transformational creativity. We lead optimistically, firmly believing in and championing growth and development for every individual. This commitment allows WPP Media employees to leverage the extensive global WPP Media & WPP networks to pursue their passions, build vital professional connections, and learn at the cutting edge of marketing and advertising. We create an open environment built on trust and respect, where everyone feels they belong and has opportunities to progress. The inclusive culture is fostered through a variety of employee resource groups and frequent in‑office events showcasing team wins, sharing thought leadership, and celebrating holidays and milestone events. Our comprehensive benefits package includes competitive medical, group retirement plans, vision, and dental insurance, significant paid time off, preferential partner discounts, and employee mental health awareness days.
EEO Statement
WPP Media is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to characteristics. We believe the best work happens when we’re together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection in this open and supportive environment. That’s why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
Location & Work Eligibility
Please note this is a UK‑based role and requires individuals to have the right to work in this location.
Privacy Notice
Please read our Privacy Notice for more information on how we process the information you provide: https://www.wppmedia.com/pages/privacy-policy
