Essence Global has named Maureen Morrison as senior VP of global marketing and communications, overseeing marketing, communications and editorial content across the GroupM shop’s 23 offices and 14 countries. 

Morrison succeeds Sam Weston, who moved earlier this year into a new role with GroupM’s marketing and communications team. Morrison, who previously operated her own strategic advisory firm, is a former journalist and onetime agency reporter at Ad Age.

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Morrison will “work with global leadership and in tandem with business development, the talent teams and regional leaders to drive growth with clients, thought leadership, recruitment, and develop industry relationships,” Essence announced in a press release.

Her role will also include working with the WPP data and media agency’s clients including Google, NBCUniversal and Target. Morrison will report to Global CEO Kyoko Matsushita, who assumed her role in 2019 after Christian Juhl was elevated to global CEO of GroupM. 

“Maureen's deep knowledge of the agency marketplace and storytelling skills honed by her time as a journalist and editor bring a unique perspective to Essence that will help us grow and achieve our goals,” said Matsushita. “She also shares our values and understands the importance of creating and supporting sustainable media businesses, and we are thrilled to have her on board.”

Essence is the 15th largest agency network in the world, according to the Ad Age Datacenter, with $396 million in global revenue. It ranks as the ninth-largest U.S. media network, with $261 million in U.S. revenue. The agency says it manages $4.5 billion in annualized media spending for clients.

“I was drawn to Essence because it has consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting quality media properties, privacy, and treating audiences with respect,” said Morrison. “It’s also been ahead of the curve in its efforts to address sustainability in the media and agency worlds and in its efforts to make the industry more diverse.”

“It’s an exciting time to be working in media, and Essence has always been on the forefront of what's next,” she added.

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