MUMBAI: Communications services organisation WPP has elevated Steve Harding as global CEO of OgilvyAction division, an unit of Ogilvy & Mather.

Harding has been a part of a five person management collective which has run the business over the past seven months. 
 
Harding had merged his activation company Tarantula with Ogilvy & Mather‘s 141 Worldwide in May 2005 and become the CEO of the merged operations. In 2007, when 141 was relaunched as OgilvyAction, he was named OgilvyAction CEO - EAME.

He became the inaugural member of the global leadership team of the OgilvyAction when it was established at the end of 2009. 
 
Harding started his career at Smith and Nephew, followed by Carlsberg Tetley - both in sales and marketing roles. He then took the decision to move to the agency side in the early 1990s, joining a sales promotion start up called USP, of which he was a shareholder before it was sold off.
 
OgilvyAction is the global brand activation network of The Ogilvy Group. The firm has 69 offices employing 1,700 people, and offers range of disciplines including experiential, shopper, trade, and promotional marketing. Supporting each of these is a capability in field marketing, digital activation, retail design and analytics.