Former GroupM China executive sentenced to life in bribery case

A former senior executive at GroupM China, a media company under WPP, has reportedly been given a life sentence by a Chinese court over a major bribery case.

Di Fei, who previously served as chief investment officer for WPP’s GroupM media-buying business in China, was convicted in March of accepting kickbacks from brokerage firms, according to Bloomberg. 

In return, he allegedly directed part of WPP’s advertising placement business to those firms, said the report, requesting anonymity because court access and documents in China are tightly restricted.

The bribes involved Di and former colleagues and were said to total 1.2 billion yuan, equivalent to about US$176 million. The ruling, described as one of China’s largest private-sector bribery cases, has not been made publicly available.

Two former colleagues were also sentenced: Yao Lan received 14.5 years in prison, while Hong Xin was given a four-year term, the people said. Di has appealed the verdict, with a decision expected either late this year or in early 2027.

In a statement sent to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a WPP Media spokesperson said, "We are aware of the court’s sentencing of former employees in Shanghai earlier this year. Although not a party to the proceedings, we have cooperated fully with the relevant authorities throughout the process and respect the court’s decision."

The case follows a raid by Chinese authorities on GroupM’s Shanghai office in 2024, during which a senior executive and two former employees were detained over alleged bribery.

At the time, WPP told media that it had dismissed an executive and suspended trading with any external organisation it understood to be part of the police inquiries. The advertising giant also said it was cooperating with authorities and conducting its own internal investigation with the support of an independent third party.

According to a statement by the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, its economic crime investigation department had uncovered a commercial bribery case involving an advertising firm.

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