Wunderman announced today that it has appointed Mel Edwards to the position of chief executive, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Wunderman effective immediately. In her new role, Edwards will take responsibility for 3,000 people in 78 offices that operate in 36 countries across the region. She will report directly to Wunderman global CEO Mark Read and will continue to be based in London.  

Currently, Edwards is CEO of Wunderman UK and will retain this role, becoming chairman when a new CEO is appointed in the near future. She succeeds Stephane Faggianelli, who prior to moving to Europe transformed Wunderman’s business in Asia. Faggianelli will be exploring other opportunities within WPP. 

Edwards joined Wunderman UK in 2012, successfully guiding it to new business wins such as News UK, Virgin Media Business, Shell and Coca-Cola. Additionally, she created an in-house publishing capability and launched a dedicated content studio. Prior to joining Wunderman, Edwards was CEO at LIDA.

“Mel has done a fantastic job in helping Wunderman become a formidable force in the UK,” said Read. “She has the right qualities, a focus on clients, creativity, innovation and new business to spearhead further growth in EMEA.”

Edwards commented: “We have a strong bench of leaders and great talent across EMEA. I plan to help galvanize this talent and drive evolution and innovation. I'm looking forward to working with Mark and the teams in the UK and across EMEA to help realize our big ambitions for the region.”