WPP Media New Zealand appoints Georgina McKinnon as CEO

WPP Media New Zealand has appointed Georgina McKinnon as Chief Executive Officer. She replaces John Halpin, who is returning to Australia with his family after nearly four years running the Auckland-based business.

Halpin stays on as CEO until January. During the handover, he will work with WPP Media Australia and New Zealand CEO Aimee Buchanan, McKinnon, and the New Zealand executive team.

McKinnon has spent more than 20 years in the New Zealand market, on both the agency and client side. Her most recent role was CEO, Content, at Omnicom Media Group (OMG) Asia Pacific, where she ran the region from New Zealand. Before that, she led content at Omnicom in New Zealand, which covered its branded content, culture, and partnerships business.

Buchanan welcomes new chief

Buchanan thanked the outgoing CEO and endorsed his successor.

“John leaves WPP Media New Zealand in a strong position, and I’m incredibly grateful for his leadership over the past four years. It’s been a pleasure to work with him, and his impact on our New Zealand business has been deeply felt by our teams, partners and clients,” said Buchanan.

“I’m excited to welcome Gina to lead the business into its next chapter. She brings an awesome energy and unique skillset that complements the existing team, and I’m confident she will have a big impact, very quickly.”

Halpin’s time at the helm

GroupM appointed Halpin CEO of GroupM New Zealand in May 2023. He came from independent agency Apparent, where he was Head of Strategy and Media and set up its media division in 2019. Before that he was Managing Partner at Naked Communications and Head of Strategy at Ikon.

WPP retired the GroupM name in favour of WPP Media in May 2025, describing the new brand as “a fully integrated, AI-powered media company.”

“Leading WPP Media New Zealand has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. We’ve built an exceptional team, strengthened our client and partner relationships, and created real momentum across the business while navigating the changing media landscape together,” said Halpin.

“While returning to Australia is a personal decision for my family and me, I do so knowing the business is in great shape. I look forward to working closely with Gina to support a smooth transition and seeing the team continue to thrive.”

McKinnon puts AI on the agenda

McKinnon said she would focus on AI, data, strategy, and creativity, built around WPP Open, the group’s agentic marketing platform.

“I am thrilled to be leading the WPP New Zealand team at such a dynamic time for the media industry. I’m excited to build on the strong foundations already in place and work alongside WPP Media New Zealand’s talented teams to challenge how we do things to get the best possible results for our clients,” said McKinnon.

“Our focus will be on the transformative power of AI with WPP Open, data, strategy and creativity working together to get meaningful and measurable outcomes for our clients. The sum of all these parts together is where we get results. I’m really looking forward to this new chapter and helping our clients shine on the world stage.”

Executive bench

McKinnon takes over a recently expanded leadership team. WPP Media recently appointed Hannah Joseph as Managing Director – Clients and Jodie Little as Managing Director – Investment & Operations.