Irwin Gotlieb is the former Global Chairman and CEO of GroupM, WPP’s media investment management company.
Irwin is one of the world’s leading authorities on the media business and a tireless champion for improving media’s accountability with standards and measures that expand insights on consumer audiences. Irwin’s commitment to driving brand growth for his advertising clients while also expanding the capabilities of WPP’s media agencies powered tremendous growth for GroupM and WPP during his executive tenure.
An innovator and pioneer, Irwin created the first U.S. spinout of a standalone media agency (MediaVest in 1993). In 1999, he joined WPP as the first Chairman & Global CEO for Mindshare Worldwide, founding the global network and at the same time creating Mindshare North America from the consolidated media resources of JWT and Ogilvy. When WPP later acquired and merged CIA with Mediaedge (forming Mediaedge: CIA, later MEC), Irwin established GroupM to harness scale across WPP’s expanding roster of media agencies and specialists; he became GroupM’s founding global CEO.
Over the next 15 years, he grew billings under management at GroupM to a RECMA estimated value of over $100 billion, and a WPP reported value of $50 billion, consistently leading the global ranking for media agency groups. GroupM earned media investment management assignments from 70% of the world’s one hundred largest advertisers.
Irwin’s career began in 1970 at Norman Craig and Kummel. He later joined SSC&B, and by 1977, Irwin had joined Benton & Bowles, beginning a journey that culminated in his founding of MediaVest.
Irwin is the first media agency executive inducted to the American Advertising Federation Hall of Fame (2017). He was also the first media agency executive to be inducted into the Broadcasting_Cable Hall of Fame (2007).
Irwin is three-time Adweek/Mediaweek All Star, including a President’s Award in 1997. Adweek named Irwin to their first-ever ‘Power List’ (2015), a ranking of the 100 most influential, innovative and effective leaders and media and technology. In 2007, TV Week recognized Irwin among the media industry’s top 25 most influential leaders.
Ad Age twice named Irwin a ‘Media Maven’ and in 2000, they proclaimed him ‘Media Player of the Year’ -- the only person to have received this recognition. In 2011, Adweek named him the Media Executive of the Decade, the only time that this award was bestowed.