WPP Scangroup Plc has officially named Akua Brayie Owusu-Nartey as its new Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, effective November 17, 2025. Her appointment follows the departure of Patricia Ithau in July and sees her succeed interim COO Miriam Kaggwa, who managed operations during the transition period.
Owusu-Nartey brings extensive regional experience to the role, having spent over 18 years in senior positions across Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, and Zambia. Her previous roles include Chief Client Officer and Head of Connected Culture at Ogilvy Africa, Acting Managing Director at Scanad Kenya, and senior leadership positions at Ogilvy Ghana and Publicis West Africa. Academically, she holds a BBA from Central University College in Ghana and an Executive MBA from Hult International Business School in the UK.
Owusu-Nartey takes the helm at a particularly volatile time for the Nairobi-listed marketing group. Her appointment follows one of the most turbulent phases in WPP Scangroup’s history, marked by a string of profit warnings, a sharp decline in share price, and the significant loss of long-term clients such as Airtel Africa after a 15-year relationship.
Insiders attribute much of the disruption to internal restructuring. The company also pivoted away from its earlier digital investments, shelving tech-driven initiatives like the e-commerce platform Goby and the automated marketing system Optimus. This cut off previously growing revenue streams; Optimus alone had contributed nearly Ksh. 300 million annually before the change in strategy.
Further compounding the challenges, the company’s governance faced scrutiny following the 2021 dismissal of former CEO Bharat Thakrar and his subsequent lawsuit against parent company WPP. Combined with industry shifts, including tighter advertising budgets, a loss of creative leadership, and stiff digital competition from both global and local startups, Scangroup’s once-dominant position in Kenya’s communications sector has steadily weakened.
The new CEO takes charge as the company reported a half-year loss for the period ended June 30, 2025. The company recorded a loss of Ksh. 208 million, an improvement from the Ksh. 252 million loss reported a year earlier.