MUMBAI: Ogilvy Worldwide CEO and chairman John Seifert has announced his plans of departure from the agency, after 41 years of service, via an internal memo shared with the team. He will be moving on the next year, as a part of a succession plan helmed by WPP CEO Mark Read.

Seifert wrote: “In June I will have served Ogilvy for 41 years, the past five as worldwide CEO. I have worked closely with Mark Read since his appointment [as CEO] in 2018 on leadership development and succession planning across The Ogilvy Group, and that includes me as well.”

“It’s been an extraordinary privilege to serve Ogilvy since joining the company as a summer intern in 1979. I love this company with all my heart and will be forever supportive of its success,” he added.

The company is in the process of looking for a successor. Seifert took over as worldwide CEO and chairman of Ogilvy, succeeding Miles Young in 2016. In 2018, Seifert led a rebrand of the agency, changing its name from Ogilvy & Mather to just Ogilvy.