Former CEO of firm that produces 'Love Island' sues ad agency for $100 million

The erstwhile main enforcement of WPP’s Motion Content Group — the shaper down “Love Is Blind” and different world TV shows — is suing the advertisement agency, saying helium was fired aft helium flagged alleged improper billing practices.

In the lawsuit, filed successful U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York connected Tuesday, Richard Foster said helium was ousted aft helium repeatedly warned elder managers astir alleged “kickback practices” involving the company’s “rebate-driven deals” that helium said “were unsustainable, unlawful, and a important menace to the Company.”

Foster, a 17-year veteran, led WPP’s media part that is the shaper and co-financier of “Love Island” and immoderate 2,500 different tv shows astir the world. The part was rebranded successful 2023 arsenic GroupM Motion Entertainment successful North America.

Foster alleged successful his suit that GroupM leveraged “client budgets to unafraid inventory deals” from media companies that included currency rebates, inventory discounts and different fiscal incentives, and that these transactions were not ever transparent oregon disclosed to clients.

Over the past 5 years, the suit states, the institution “generated rebate-driven deals valued betwixt $3 [billion] and $4 billion, of which it improperly retained astir $1.5 [billion] to $2 billion.”

But alternatively than face the issues, Foster claims executives “marginalized him, and yet terminated him and his squad to screen up their ain improper practices.”

WPP disputed the claims.

“The Company is alert of a suit successful [U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York] filed by a erstwhile worker who was fto spell successful a caller organizational restructuring,” a WPP spokesperson said successful a statement. “The tribunal has not yet made immoderate findings successful narration to the allegations and we volition support them vigorously.”

In December, Foster submitted a 35-page interior study emphasizing that determination were opportunities to found a caller amusement division, but warned that its usage of rebates could airs “possible ineligible and reputational” risks to the company.

At 1 point, Foster alleged that helium told 1 enforcement that “WPP and GroupM person ‘been sleepwalking to the borderline of a cliff and radical don’t privation to perceive it.’”

In January, Foster said helium was asked to sermon the study with Brian Lesser, planetary CEO of GroupM, who “expressed interest astir the ineligible risks tied to GroupM Trading and said helium would analyse this further.” Days aboriginal Foster claimed that helium received a substance from Lesser asking him to nonstop a “sanitized mentation of the report” and “to exclude immoderate overt disapproval of [GroupM Trading] arsenic that is not successful the tone of moving together.”

Eventually, Foster said helium was terminated connected July 10. He is seeking $100 cardinal successful damages.

“Richard Foster devoted astir 2 decades to helping physique 1 of the world’s astir palmy media and amusement instauration operations,” his attorney, William A. Brewer III, spouse astatine Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors, said successful a statement. “When helium stood up for transparency and accountability astatine WPP, helium was fto go. This lawsuit volition radiance a airy connected systemic misconduct and the retaliation faced by an enforcement who refused to spell on to get along.”