WPP suffered a -15.1% drop in net sales as the Covid-19 crisis took hold in the second quarter of this year – an “inevitable downturn” according to CEO Mark Read, but “better than our expectations”.

Mediatel News’ Michaela Jefferson meets a graduate from the Brixton Finishing School, talks to its founder and discusses whether adland needs to do more to support multicultural talent at a younger age.

Newsworks’ executive chair Tracy De Groose is to step down this September, with Jo Allan appointed managing director to lead the national newsbrand marketing body in her place.

Despite a marginally improved outlook for the rest of this year, the UK ad market is not expected to return to year-on-year growth until the second quarter of 2021 – assuming a successful Covid-19 vaccine is by then in place.

The launch of Hits Radio Pride comes following the cancellation of this year’s Pride events across the UK, a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

According to Zenith’s latest adspend forecasts, digital advertising is to claim a 51% share of total global advertising expenditure this year.

Meanwhile, the magazines and digital properties for Sea Angler, Car Mechanics and Your Horse are to move into new ownership under Kelsey Media.

In what the TV marketing body has described as “miserable” news, Tess Alps – the founding CEO and current non-executive chair of Thinkbox – is set to retire at the end of 2020.

Beth Freedman has been named the new UK chief executive of Dentsu Aegis Network’s full-service agency, dentsu X, replacing Patrick Affleck.

Big Issue magazine vendors will return to the streets of England, Scotland and Wales on Monday July 6, armed with PPE and contactless card payment equipment as part of new Covid-19 safety precautions.