• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 23, 2020

Tamara Ingram, who has served as chairman of Wunderman Thompson since the merger of J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman in late 2018, is departing the agency later this year. 

Before the merger, Ingram had been CEO at JWT, a role she held for about two-and-a-half years. She took over at a turbulent time for the agency, replacing Gustavo Martinez, who departed after he was sued for sex harassment by Erin Johnson, then the agency’s Chief Communications Officer. The suit dragged on for years before a settlement was reached. 

Earlier, Ingram served as Chief Client Team Officer at WPP. Before that, she ran the holding company’s dedicated P&G unit.

Now, Ingram is moving to the new role of non-executive chair at WT for an unspecified time before leaving the agency. 

WPP CEO Mark Read delivered the news to the troops in a memo last week. 

“When Tam was named Worldwide CEO of J. Walter Thompson in 2016, she made history as the first woman to lead the agency,” Read wrote. “Later, when I spoke to Tam and [WT Global CEO] Mel [Edwards] about bringing J. Walter Thompson and Wunderman together during 2018, Tam embraced the idea and worked closely with Mel to integrate the two agencies – creating a single powerhouse built to inspire growth for its clients. 

“Tam has been a great friend and colleague to me, as I am sure she has been to many of you. I have learned a tremendous amount from her about our industry and what makes it special, and this has been invaluable to me. Having watched her in action, not only do I have a few stories, but I can say that there are few better at building relationships between clients and agencies that get the best out of both.” 

“Throughout her career, Tam has dedicated herself to causes and interests beyond the world of advertising – from promoting London’s tourism industry as chair of Visit London (for which she was awarded the OBE) to serving on the board of Save the Children in the UK and as a current trustee of the charity internationally. 

“As she takes up this new role, and subsequently moves on to even more new challenges, please join me in thanking Tam for her leadership and outstanding contributions over the years, both to our agencies and to WPP as a whole.”