Emily Tan
Jul 05, 2018

WPP threatens to pull Sorrell's £20m bonus if he wins MediaMonks bid

WPP is also bidding for Dutch agency MediaMonks, pitting the group against its former chief executive, Sir Martin Sorrell.

WPP threatens to pull Sorrell's £20m bonus if he wins MediaMonks bid
WPP has reportedly warned Sorrell (pictured) that if he wins the bid for the agency, he stands to lose his £20m bonus as he may be in breach of a confidentiality clause in his contract that precludes him from using information gleaned while still running the company. 
 
A spokesman for Sorrell described the warning letter issued by WPP's legal firm, Slaughter and May, as "bollocks". He told The Times that Sorrell would resist any attempt to withhold future bonus payments.
 
When contacted by Campaign UK, the spokesman said Sorrell had nothing further to add. 
 
On Tuesday, it was reported by the Financial Times that Sorrell's S4 Capital is looking into buying the Dutch-based digital content production company, as its first acquisition. 
 
Sorrell is believed to have been an admirer of MediaMonks during his days at WPP, when he was an investor in digital content business Vice Media.
 
Despite the resources of WPP, S4 Capital may have a strong chance of winning the bid as MediaMonks founders may "decide that protecting [its culture] from the crushing embrace of a tech behemoth is more important than achieving the highest price for the business," Tristan Rice, partner at M&A firm SI Partners told Campaign in a prior interview. 
Source:
Campaign India

Related Articles

Just Published

1 hour ago

Global ad spend to hit $1.08 trillion in 2024 as ...

Its latest study reveals tech giants' intensifying dominance of global ad spend and social media leading unprecedented growth—but regulatory headwinds still threaten to reshape this burgeoning landscape.

4 hours ago

77% of upcountry consumers used WhatsApp in their ...

59% of India’s tier-2 and 3 market consumers discover online shopping products through reels, according to a Meta survey.

5 hours ago

Rethinking brand engagement in the age of responsibl...

Social media limits can spark marketing ingenuity. Jajabor Brand Consultancy’s founder and CEO urges brands to ditch instant likes and embrace lasting connections.