Advertising giant WPP is set to integrate creative agency T&Pm more closely into its global network, acquiring the remaining minority shareholdings in the London firm.
T&Pm, formerly known as The&Partnership before its merger with mSix&Partners, will however retain its fully standalone status, continuing to operate as a separate entity.
The move will see WPP’s AI-powered marketing operating system, WPP Open placed at the heart of T&Pm’s strategy, in a bid to drive further growth through innovation for its clients.
“Two years ago, I showed Johnny the early iterations of WPP Open, our AI-powered operating system for marketing,” WPP CEO, Mark Read said.
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“He immediately saw its transformational potential and has since become one of its most compelling advocates. T&Pm is a great example of how we are putting AI at the heart of the groundbreaking work we do for our clients.”
Founded in 2001, T&Pm now employs 1,800 people across 42 locations globally, expanding significantly since WPP first invested in the agency in 2007 with a 49.9% stake, before moving to a majority holding in 2019.
T&Pm founder and CEO, Johnny Hornby added: “This is a very exciting next phase for us. Our belief in the superior agility of integrated teams has fuelled our global success.
“Now, AI is transforming the speed at which we can partner with clients to create growth and WPP’s early investment in Open gives us a big advantage.”
