Wyse to leave WPP's Forward

by John Reynolds, mediaweek.co.uk 16-Dec-08, 10:10

LONDON - Sarah Wyse, the chief executive of WPP-owned customer publisher Forward, is to leave the company after 12 years.

Wyse, who will leave in March, is setting up her own consultancy, which will have a focus on marketing solutions.

She will not be directly replaced. Instead, Forward will promote its business director Simon Hobbs to the role of managing director.

Hobbs joined Forward in 2004 and in his role as business director, has been responsible for running some of Forward’s key accounts, such as Tesco and Barclays. He has also been responsible for developing Forward’s digital strategy.

Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP Group purchased Forward, which was founded in 1985 and run by William Sieghart and Neil Mendoza, for an undisclosed sum in 2001.