1985-2018.4.14
一个时代，落下帷幕。

大概谁也不曾想到，苏铭天爵士（Sir Martin Sorrell）会以这种方式、这么突然、这么快速，就离开自己一手创办的全球广告帝国。

1985年，苏铭天买下了当时一家英国上市公司Wire Plastic Products的少数权。那时候的WPP还是一家专门生产金属购物篮、文件筐等产品的小公司，在当时很不起眼。1986年，苏铭天全职加入WPP，并担任首席执行官。

此后，WPP即以旋风般的速度在一年间分别在美国和英国收购了十家市场服务类型的公司。

再历经30多年，苏铭天这个曾经的上一代的“萨奇广告帝国”的二把手，将广告行业的无数辉煌代理厂牌纳入旗下—Ogilvy & Mather 奥美、智威汤逊 J. Walter Thompson、扬罗必凯 Young & Rubicom、葛瑞Grey、达彼思 Bates、CHI & Partner、TNS......并且，带领WPP成为全球NO.1 的广告传播集团。

WPP集团2017年营业收入152亿英镑，经营国家与地区为112个市场，全球雇员13万（加上合营联营等为20万）。名副其实的WPP广告帝国。

4月14日晚间，WPP集团正式宣布苏铭天爵士即刻辞去已经担任32年的首席执行官一职。

WPP同时宣布现任董事长 Roberto Quarta 将担任集团执行董事长（exec. Chairman），直到新的CEO获得任命。

另外，Mark Read（现任伟门/WPP Digital CEO）和 Andrew Scott （WPP企业发展总监/欧洲区COO）共同担任WPP的联席首席运营官。但这也意味着，到底谁来最终执掌WPP的权杖尚未完全清晰，而且爵爷的退休也就显得颇为仓促。

WPP的正式声明中表示，此前WPP集团宣布的对苏铭天爵士不当行为指控的调查已经结束。这一指控不涉及实质性内容。

苏铭天爵士将会协助配合WPP集团的整个过渡交接工作。
 
根据此前的就业协议，依照董事薪酬政策的规定，今年已经73岁的苏铭天爵士的卸任将被视为“从WPP退休”。他的股票奖励将按照计划的规则进行评级，并以“达到集团业绩目标的程度”，将在未来5年内被继续授予。

所以，种种迹象表明，苏铭天爵士最后选择了一种“体面离开”的方式。

再见，爵爷。

Sir Martin Sorrell in 80s

Sir Martin made tons of pound from WPP in last 30 yrs and his wealth at around ￡495MM (2017 data)

爵爷未来可以多花时间陪家人（左为爵爷夫人）

这三十年里，爵爷在广告业尽情挥洒财务艺术

The WPP empire founded by Sir Martin Sorrell from 1985

苏铭天爵士写给全集团的告别信

To everyone at WPP：

For the past 33 years, I have spent every single day thinking about the future of WPP.

Over those decades, our family has grown and prospered.

We welcomed J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy, Young & Rubicam, Grey, 24/7 Real Media, Taylor Nelson Sofres, among so many others.

We created GroupM, including Xaxis and Essence.

We put the focus on Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East and Central Eastern Europe, the home of the next billion consumers. We embarked on the early development of digital capabilities; and the evolution of a firm-wide integrated client and country-centered approach.

Our holding company was recognized as the world's best and most effective through the Cannes Lions and Effie Awards year after year after year.

We pioneered Atticus Awards for original written thinking…. the WPP Fellowship Awards to recognize promising talent…. the Partnership and Practice Awards for client endorsed integrated market and case studies.

Our Stream digital conferences have attracted the best in the digital business for more than a decade.

Our Annual Sustainability and Pro Bono Reports highlight the unique social, environmental and public policy work that we do day in, day out across the globe.

As I look ahead, I see that the current disruption we are experiencing is simply putting too much unnecessary pressure on the business, our over 200,000 people and their 500,000 or so dependents, and the clients we serve in 112 countries.

That is why I have decided that in your interest, in the interest of our clients, in the interest of all shareowners, both big and small, and in the interest of all our other stakeholders, it is best for me to step aside.

We have had a succession plan in place for some time. A new generation of management, led by Mark Read and Andrew Scott (who have each been at WPP for approximately 20 years), are well qualified and experienced in the Board's opinion, to deal with the geographic and technological opportunities and challenges our industry faces.

We have weathered difficult storms in the past. And our highly talented people have always won through, always.

Nobody, either direct competitors or newly-minted ones can beat the WPP team, as long as you work closely together, whether by client and/or country or digitally.ther stakeholders, it is best for me to step aside.

In the coming period, I will be available to the Board and any of you, should you want help with anything, anywhere. I shall miss all of you greatly. You have given me such excitement and energy and I wanted to thank you for everything you have done and will do for WPP and me.

As some of you know, my family has expanded recently, WPP will always be my baby too.

As a Founder, I can say that WPP is not just a matter of life or death, it was, is and will be more important than that. Good fortune and Godspeed to all of you…now Back to the Future.

Thank you.

( Martin Sorrell )

而WPP这艘巨舰驶向何方？
能否再登新高峰？
就是爵爷留下的难题。
谁来解答？

三十载，或瞬间。
再回首，功与名，
无能眷恋。
亦不再见。

/// 首发：创意邦（id: creativeboom）