Ogilvy group CEO outlines 'next chapter' of transformation plans in a staff memo

Ogilvy Group's global CEO John Seifert sent an extensive memo to all staff on 14 February to give an update on the company's transformation over the past three years. Among other things, Seifert addressed the two recent leadership departures in their public relations division, Gunther Schumacher and Stuart Smith, outlining their achievements and reasons for leaving.He will also be taking over Smith as the leader of Ogilvy's Public Relations and Influence (PR&I) capability on an interim basis to accelerate the growth plan and development agenda for it globally. Seifert said that new leadership model and growth priorities will be revealed by mid-March. Other than PR&I, Seifert also elaborated on the leadership structure and progress of Ogilvy's five other capabilities - brand strategy, advertising,  customer engagement and commerce, partnerships and digital transformation.Titled "Next Phase Next Chapter", Seifert said in the e-mail that "the ongoing mission of clarifying, simplifying, and unifying Ogilvy in the context of this strategy remains my highest priority for restoring the company to growth for today and tomorrow."Defining "delivery" as how Ogilvy realise solutions for its clients, Seifert said that the company will be developing a three-year plan for commercial transformation, dubbed Delivery 2.0, of The Ogilvy Group 0ver the next three months. In 2019, the company will be working to expand its Ogilvy Consulting business as well as raising the creative standards and quality of work across the WPP Group broadly and worldwide creative networks such as Ogilvy, GREY, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R.Concluding the email, Seifert (pictured) said, "Our world, our clients, our industry, and our people have experienced more volatility and ambiguity than we sometimes think possible. It’s a new reality that we are all adapting to embrace. The good news: we saw it all coming. Our next chapter strategy and plan embraced these challenges and opportunities. We charted a path that would enable us to stand apart as a beacon of leadership in our industry."