Worldwide Partners Welcomes New Board of Directors

Worldwide Partners global network of independent agencies continues to see year-over-year growth, both in terms of new agencies added to the network and new clients. In the first half of 2024, its added eight new agency partners, further expanding its global footprint across the UK and Latin America, and broadening PR, experiential, media, B2B, Hispanic targeting, and talent management capabilities.

This growth is due in large part to the board of directors. This group works tirelessly on behalf of its 90+ agency partners to determine the goals and strategies for the network, and ensure that Worldwide Partners are progressing to deliver value for its agencies and their clients. 

This month marks the beginning of a new term for the board of directors. The new board will have some new faces as well as several board members continuing for a second term. 

The new WPI board of directors includes:

• Stephen Brown, CEO of FUSE Create (Canada) - chair
• Ann-Louise Rosen, co-CEO of Advance (Denmark) - vice chair
• Mikael Rubinsson, CEO of Blomquist (Sweden) - treasurer/secretary
• Humphrey Ho, CEO of Hylink Group (China) - APAC director
• Antoine David, co-founder and CEO of Rosbeef! (France) - EMEA director
• John Keane, CEO of Ardmore (UK) - EMEA director
• Vitor Barros, CEO of Propeg (Brazil) - LATAM director
• Jean Freeman, principal and CEO of Zambezi (USA) - NA director
• Claude Auchu, CEO of LG2 (Canada) - NA director
• Mary Knight, president and co-owner of Hydrogen (USA) - NA director

The Power of Indies as One

Independent agencies continue to make headlines and win over brands from larger firms as more brands recognise the need for innovation, agility, and flexibility in today’s complex marketing environment. 

“Independence, to me, signifies the freedom to innovate without constraints, the ability to stay true to our unique vision and values, and the agility to adapt to an ever-changing market landscape,” says Stephen Brown.

Alone, one independent agency is formidable but banded together with other indies providing shared values, complementary skills, and local expertise, they are unstoppable at solving the precise business challenges of today’s marketers.  

“Together with Board and all of the Worldwide Partners agencies, we’re able to combine these independent advantages into a powerful offering of expertise, diversity, and agility that delivers unparalleled value to our agencies and our clients,” Stephen shared. “I look forward to working as a team with the Board to leverage these advantages, and increase collaboration and innovation within the advertising industry.” 

The Future of the Network

The vision for Worldwide Partners is to become the most sought-after independent agency network in the world. This has been the driving force behind every decision made by the Board for the past several years, and will continue to be in the future. And it all hinges on the calibre of agencies within the network.

“A lot of great new agencies and people have joined, helping to further diversify our network in terms of location, expertise and talent,” said Ann-Louise. “I believe that if we continue down that path, we will be even more successful.” 

In addition to welcoming this new board, we would like to express our appreciation to the outgoing members: EMEA director Ingrid Wächter-Lauppe (Wächter Worldwide Partners), Asia Pacific director Viveca Chan (WE Marketing Group), and ex-officio chair Fletcher Whitwell (R&R Partners). Their strong leadership has helped us see incredible success during their term, and We are eternally grateful for their dedication and support. 

“It is an honour to work with these people every day on behalf of our agencies and the clients we serve,” said John Harris, president and CEO of Worldwide Partners. “Each year since I joined Worldwide Partners, I’ve stated ‘This is our best year yet’ and it continues to be true thanks to the innovative ideas and hard work of the Board. I look forward to continuing this momentum with this new group and saying again in 12 months, ‘This is our best year yet.’”

Worldwide Partners look forward to all of the learning, growth and collaboration that this new Board will bring to the network, its agencies and its clients.