The prevailing rhetoric from those analysing and questing Sir Martin Sorrell’s sudden departure from advertising conglomerate WPP (WPP) is how sad a situation this is. Here is a man who, in the course of a 33-year tenure, has taken a small ‘Wire and Plastic Products’ business and turned it a giant of the advertising world. He has often been credited for pioneering the ad agency model, and his ruthless attention to detail while on the quest for acquisitions has helped his company become one of the UK's biggest.
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Put aside his controversial sky-high salary and the recent investigation into allegations of personal misconduct, over the longer term Sir Martin has been one hell of a chief executive. Replacing him is not going to be easy.