• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 18, 2020

WPP has appointed Simona Maggini Country Manager for Italy, succeeding Massimo Costa who the holding company said has decided to step down from the role.

Maggini will retain her existing role as CEO of VMLY&R in Italy. She joined Y&R in 2003 and has held a number of senior management roles including General Manager Y&R and VML Italy, before being promoted to CEO in 2015.

Maggini led the integration of Y&R and VML in Italy when WPP merged the agency networks in 2018.

As part of the leadership succession, Massimo Beduschi has been promoted to chairman of WPP Italy, having been Chief Operating Officer since 2016. He will continue as Chairman and CEO of GroupM Italy. During his more than 20-year career with WPP he has held senior positions including Chief Financial Officer of Mindshare Italy, CFO of GroupM Italy, Executive Chairman of Mindshare Italy and COO of GroupM Italy.

Costa has held various senior roles over his 25 years with the company. Prior to his 2011 appointment as country manager, he was chairman and CEO of Y&R Group in Italy, and between 2005 and 2010 he was chairman and CEO of Y&R EMEA.