Michelle Whelan joins Komerz as Global Chief Business Officer
Michelle Whelan has joined Komerz as Global Chief Business Officer and has also made a personal investment in the company.
Whelan, who previously served as Chief Client Officer UK for VML and held the position of CEO at both VMLY&R and Geometry Global UK, brings more than two decades of senior leadership experience in the marketing and advertising sector to her new role at Komerz.
Her tenure at WPP included eight years as a CEO across various agencies, where she led strategic initiatives for major international brands such as Coca-Cola, Mondelez, Philips, Diageo, Nestle, Ford, Bayer, and Unilever. Whelan also developed agency capabilities in retail media, social commerce, and influencer commerce, and under her leadership, VMLY&R Commerce won recognition for its work on Diageo's Baileys brand in Ireland and became a global agency of the year, as well as being voted one of the top DE&I agencies in the UK.
Alongside her appointment, Whelan's decision to invest in Komerz signals her confidence in the company's business model and future prospects.
"Over the last eight years at WPP, I have worked with brand partners to deliver marketing solutions that drive brand and category growth. Komerz brings a whole new dimension to this by combining deep commercial understanding with cross-border channel expertise, giving challenger brands the capability to truly unite marketing and sales," said Michelle.
Whelan's responsibilities at Komerz will include leading the expansion of the company's operations to reach new customers in different channels and building a team with a unified global approach to marketing and sales. She will be tasked with ensuring that high-performing teams operate with clear objectives and KPIs, drawing from her experience scaling agency operations in previous roles.
The move comes during a period of significant change in the commerce industry, particularly as the boundaries between marketing, sales, and distribution become increasingly blurred. Komerz's single operating layer across multiple channels is intended to enable brands to simplify their global commerce strategies and maintain better control over customer relationships and data.
Whelan views the integration of marketing and commercial functions as an essential driver for future brand success.
"Consumers don't care where they buy, only that the brand is relevant, available, and frictionless to access. Komerz eliminates traditional silos between online and offline, marketing and distribution, by becoming a single operating layer across channels."
Before joining Komerz, Whelan launched M&C Saatchi Shop and held senior positions at agencies including Arc Worldwide, iris Experience, and BBDO Vancouver, where she contributed to securing the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Bid. These roles provided her with a broad perspective on building and implementing strategies for both global brands and high-profile international events.
Her appointment has been described as indicative of a wider trend in the marketing services sector, where senior agency leaders are moving towards commerce-focused businesses that offer opportunities for direct commercial impact and measurable outcomes for brands.
As Global Chief Business Officer, Whelan will focus on building on Komerz's growth trajectory as it works to connect challenger brands with global retail channels through its omni-channel model.
Whelan's arrival at Komerz follows a period during which clients in the marketing sector have shown increased demand for performance-driven, integrated solutions that span marketing, sales, and distribution. The company's approach to uniting strategy, execution, and reporting in a single, unified function is intended to address these requirements.
