WPP appoints Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang to the Board
October 26 2020 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
WPP (NYSE: WPP) today announces the appointment of Dr. Ya-Qin
Zhang to its Board as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 1
January 2021.
A world-renowned technologist, scientist and entrepreneur, Dr.
Zhang served as President of Baidu Inc, the global internet
services and AI company headquartered in Beijing, between 2014 and
2019. As President, he oversaw the company’s overall technologies,
emerging businesses and global operations. Prior to joining Baidu,
he held several key positions during his 16-year tenure with
Microsoft, both in the US and in China, including Corporate Vice
President, Chairman of Microsoft China, Managing Director of
Microsoft Research Asia, and Chairman of Microsoft Asia R&D
group.
He has made outstanding contributions to the internet and
software industry including, at Microsoft, building one of the
world’s premier R&D centres with over 3,000 scientists and
engineers in multimedia, computer vision, AI/machine learning,
speech recognition and machine translation. At Baidu, he played a
pivotal role in moving the company to new frontiers including cloud
computing, autonomous driving, quantum computing, and AI/machine
learning systems.
He was recently appointed Chair Professor of AI Science at
Tsinghua University, China and is the founding Dean of the
Institute for AI Industry Research at the same university. Dr.
Zhang became a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers at the age of 31, making him the youngest
scientist to win this honour in the 100-year history of the
organisation. He is also a Fellow of American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and a Foreign Fellow of Australia National Academy of
Technology and Engineering.
Dr. Zhang currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of
Fortescue Metals Group, an Australian global leader in the iron ore
industry, and is a Non-Executive Director of AsiaInfo Technologies
Limited, a Hong Kong-listed 5G technology and telecommunications
software product and solutions provider, and a Non-Executive
Director of ChinaSoft International limited, a Hong Kong-listed
global software and IT services company.
Commenting on the appointment, Roberto Quarta, Chairman of WPP,
said: “Dr. Zhang is one of the world’s most celebrated
technologists and business leaders. With his diverse career
experience which includes leadership roles at both US and Chinese
companies, and his particular understanding of the changing
consumer technology landscape within China, he will make an
extremely valuable contribution to the WPP Board.”
Dr. Zhang said: “I am very excited to be joining WPP, which is a
truly global organisation and a leader in its field. I look forward
to working with the team as the company embraces future
technologies and continues to develop its business in markets
around the world.”
OAM: Additional Regulatory Information WPP LEI:
549300LSGBXPYHXGDT93
Balbir Kelly-Bisla Company Secretary 26 October 2020
Notes
1. As Non-Executive Director of WPP plc, Dr. Ya-Qin Zhang will
receive standard annual fees of £85,000 per annum.
2. The Board has determined that Dr. Zhang will be an
independent Non-Executive Director, in accordance with the UK
Corporate Governance Code.
3. In addition to the above, the following directorships held by
Dr. Zhang are disclosed in accordance with Listing Rule
9.6.13R:
- 2013 to 2015 Non-Executive Director of
Autohome, a Nasdaq-listed online car sales and services provider -
2014 to 2017 Non-Executive Director of China Digital Video, a Hong
Kong-listed digital video company - 2014 to 2019 Non-Executive
Director of Tarena, a Nasdaq-listed education company
About WPP
WPP is a creative transformation company. We use the power of
creativity to build better futures for our people, clients and
communities. For more information, visit www.wpp.com.
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Chris Wade, WPP +44 (0)20 7282 4600 Chris.wade@wpp.com
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