Industry veteran David Wheldon, currently chief brand officer of lottery operator Allwyn, is taking over as president of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA.) He succeeds Mastercard’s Raja Rajamannar, stepping down after six years. Ferrero Rocher’s Phil Myers becomes deputy president.
In a long career Wheldon (above) has seen marketing from a number of vantage points including stints at RBS (now Natwest), Barclays, Vodafone, Coca-Cola and WPP.
The WFA, essentially a best practice advocacy group, has hit rather more stormy waters recently, hurriedly abandoning its Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) initiative just days after X owner Elon Musk filed an antitrust lawsuit against it in an obscure Texas court. Other issues facing Wheldon include the vexed question of so-called ‘principal’ or ‘inventory’ media where big media agencies buy media and sell it on to clients. The UK’s ISBA advertiser body has already come out strongly against this.
WFA CEO Stephan Loerke says: “I am delighted to be able to count on the support of David and Phil, two exceptional leaders who know the organisation inside out. WFA is all about helping members achieve better marketing that drives sustainable growth for their companies. Their unique profiles and experiences are ideally suited to help us deliver on that objective.
“I would also like to thank Raja for his unwavering support to the WFA over the last six years. He has been an inspiring leader at the forefront of how marketing is evolving and a steadfast advocate for how marketing can serve people and communities.”
