Head of Strategy

Who We AreVML, part of WPP, is a leading creative company that combines brand experience, customer experience, and commerce, creating connected brands to drive growth. VML is celebrated for its innovative and human first, award-winning work for blue chip client partners including AstraZeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and Wendy's. The agency is recognized by the Forrester Wave Reports, as a Leader among Marketing Creative and Content Service Providers, Commerce Services, Global Digital Experience Services, Global Marketing Services and, most recently, Marketing Measurement & Optimization.

In addition, VML’s specialist health network, VML Health, is one of the world’s largest and most awarded health agencies. VML’s global network is powered by 26,000 talented people across 55+ markets, with principal offices in Kansas City, New York, Detroit, London, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, and Sydney.

About WPPWPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit  Head of Strategy and Planning Great brands are built by those who can see around corners — and by those who ensure the business never misses a step.

This role is the former.

Working in close partnership with the Global Client Lead, the Director sets the long-term vision and strategic ambition, empowering teams to bring that vision to life brilliantly, every single day.

Location:

London, with some potential for travel

Reports to:

Global Client Lead About the Role The Global Director of Strategy and Planning will be the strategic architect and visionary leader behind a fast-growing global brand.

This individual will define, articulate, and champion the brand’s strategic vision — helping the brand achieve its ambitious growth objectives while, more importantly, defining what comes next.

The role requires translating complex insights and business objectives into clear, inspiring narratives that drive creativity, consistency, and performance.

Acting as both a strategic leader and a trusted client partner, you will oversee the future of the global brand strategy. You will ensure that every initiative is rooted in insight, guided by purpose, and measured by impact.

You will constantly look to drive the brand forwards, challenging the status quo through informed insights and ideas.

Key Responsibilities
1. Brand Vision and Definition Own and articulate the global brand vision, ensuring it remains clear, differentiated, and culturally relevant across markets. Set our “North Star”.Continually look to drive the brand forwards, ensuring we constantly innovate and evolve while maintaining brand equity. Maintain a “What’s Next” mentality.

Synthesize, simplify, and storytell complex strategic and business information into compelling, actionable direction for clients and internal teams.

Champion the adoption of AI tools and platforms to accelerate strategic development — including synthetic audience testing, AI-powered insight generation, and data collaboration technologies that enable insight without compromising consumer or client privacy.
2. Strategic Ownership Define measurable strategic KPIs aligned with business outcomes and marketing performance.

Ensure strategic focus and priorities are clear. Help the brand focus on what matters.

Drive data-driven decision making to help prioritise and focus initiatives based on insights.
3. Consumer Obsession Be the voice of the consumer in the business. Understand who we are talking to, what drives them, and how we can tailor our approaches accordingly.

Partner with the insights team to fully understand the business, performance, and consumer behaviours.

Leverage AI-powered synthetic audiences and Large Marketing Models to unlock consumer understanding at speed and scale,…