1st May 2025 07:00
1 May 2025
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF THE UK VERSION OF REGULATION (EU) NO. 596/2014 ON MARKET ABUSE ("UK MAR"), AS IT FORMS PART OF UK DOMESTIC LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018
S4 Capital plc
("S4 Capital" or the "Company")
Board Appointments
Radhika Radhakrishnan as Chief Financial Officer and Nirvik Singh as an Independent NED
The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Radhika Radhakrishnan as Chief Financial Officer with effect from 1 May 2025, succeeding Mary Basterfield.
Radhika was Global Chief Finance Officer of Wavemaker, one of WPPs media brands at Group M, and at Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), one of Publicis' creative agencies. Prior to her time at BBH, she was Chief Finance Officer at 20th Century Fox UK and Chief Financial Officer of Hachette Filipacchi UK, now Hearst Magazines. Radhika qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Young London and is a Non- Executive Director of the University of Cambridge Press and Assessment Board.
Radhika succeeds Mary Basterfield, who steps down from the Board with effect from [1] May 2025, and will leave the Company after working closely with Radhika during a handover period. The required statement under section 430(2B) Companies Act 2006 in respect of Mary stepping down as a director will be available on the Company's website. The Board unanimously thanks Mary for her hard work and commitment over the last three years and wishes her every success in her future career.
The Company is also pleased to announce the appointment of Nirvik Singh as an independent Non-executive Director of S4 Capital plc also with effect from 1 May 2025.
Nirvik Singh previously served as Global Chief Operating Officer and President International of Grey Group, a WPP subsidiary, overseeing operations across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific. He has also led multiple acquisitions in China, India, South Korea, the UAE, the UK and South Africa, covering sectors such as e-commerce, data analytics and marketing technology.
Beginning his career at Lipton India, a Unilever company, Nirvik transitioned into advertising, becoming CEO of Grey Group India at 33 and later leading its expansion into South Asia. In 2010 he relocated to Singapore, when he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Grey Asia-Pacific, before assuming his global role in 2019.
He is currently Chairman of Hype Luxury, a luxury mobility aggregator, Non-executive Director of Shoppers Stop, a $800m market capitalisation retail company, Non-executive Director and member of the Nomination and Remuneration, and Risk Committees of Gulf Oil India and an Advisor to Charge Europa, a Polish EV charging company.
Both Radhika and Nirvik will stand for election to the Board at the Annual General Meeting to be held on 4 June 2025.
Sir Martin Sorrell, Executive Chairman of S4 Capital plc, said: "Mary has made a significant contribution to improving the financial team, systems, processes and organisation of the company in the three years she has been with us and I am, personally, sorry to see her go, but wish her every success in the future.
On the other hand, we are delighted to welcome Radhika as her replacement. Radhika has a very strong record in the advertising and marketing services industry both at WPP and Publicis and she will be working with Mary on a suitably smooth handover. We are also delighted to welcome Nirvik Singh to the Board, who has an extensive career and operating experience with WPP, particularly in APAC and the Middle East."
Radhika Radhakrishnan said: "I am excited to be joining S4, a highly innovative company which is well positioned to take advantage of our dynamically changing industry. I look forward to working with the talented teams globally and helping to cultivate strong client relationships and build on what is already a very strong client base."
Nirvik Singh said: "I am thrilled to be joining the Board of S4 at a time of great changes in our industry. I believe that S4 is well positioned to take advantage of the current opportunities, given its focus and expertise on AI and the availability of its digital, data and tech focused solutions for clients seeking growth."
There are no other details to be disclosed in accordance with paragraph 6.4.8R of the UK Listing Rules. The person responsible for releasing this announcement is Caroline Kowall, Company Secretary.
Enquiries:
S4Capital Tel: +44 (0)20 3793 0003
Sir Martin Sorrell (Executive Chairman)
Sodali & Co (PR Advisor to S4Capital) Tel: +44 (0) 7970 246 725
Elly Williamson
Pete Lambie
About S4 Capital
Our strategy is to build a purely digital advertising and marketing services business for global, multinational, regional, and local clients, and millennial-driven influencer brands. This will be achieved by integrating leading businesses in two synchronised Practices: Marketing services and Technology services, along with an emphasis on 'faster, better, cheaper, more' execution in an always-on consumer-led environment, with a unitary structure.
The Company now has approximately 7,150 people in 33 countries with approximately 80% of net revenue across the Americas, 15% across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 5% across Asia-Pacific. The longer-term objective is a geographic split of 60%:20%:20%. At the Group's last full year results Content accounted for approximately 60% of net revenue, Data&Digital Media 25% and Technology Services 15%.
Sir Martin was CEO of WPP for 33 years, building it from a £1 million 'shell' company in 1985 into the world's largest advertising and marketing services company, with a market capitalisation of over £16 billion on the day he left. Prior to that Sir Martin was Group Financial Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Company Plc for nine years.