Amanda Stocking

"Amanda Stocking is a rising star at GroupM. 

 She joined the business in 2020 as Internal Communications Manager. Quickly gaining the trust of the Executive Team, Amanda became Head of Communications in 2022, making her the youngest member of the management board. This role encompasses both internal and external communications. 

 Which isn’t easy at a company the size of GroupM. Not only is GroupM itself a behemoth as the world's largest media investment company, but its messaging and comms have an impact across its five UK media agencies.. These communication roles are usually split at large businesses for a reason. It’s too big a job for most people. But not for Amanda. 

 She argued that internal and external communications are so intrinsically linked that it necessitated a joint role. “What we put out externally, whether a news story about our performance or thought leadership exploring the future of our industry, has a clear impact internally”. And so Amanda has taken charge of crafting an all-encompassing communication strategy for GroupM. This means managing her internal team and two PR agencies, while also being the sole communications representative to the GroupM C-suite. Alongside this, she is the conduit between GroupM’s UK communications and its global objectives; between GroupM and WPP, and of course between GroupM’s constituent agencies and GroupM.

 The first question Amanda typically asks when approaching a new task or concern is always, “how will this impact our people?. 

 She is a people-first person by nature - and a people-first leader by practice. We asked her team to describe her in three words:

 - reliable, collaborative, effective

 - professional, compassionate, aspirational

- “If she were a dog, she would be a golden retriever!”

 Amanda is a rare breed as a leader. In a Carl Jung-esque personality test, her results showed her as a green. ‘Green’ people are cool, laid back, relaxed and patient. They are encouraging of their teams and able to bring out the best in people. However, they rarely appear in leadership roles. 

 Too often, being compassionate is seen as not being able to make decisions, or not being assertive. Amanda is open, fair and democratic. She is assertive from a place of genuine understanding and empathy. She is always thinking about how her words and work will impact people. 

 These skills have propelled Amanda to a position of trust and respect within GroupM. She reports directly into the Chief Engagement and Growth Officer and has a direct line to the UK and EMEA CEO. She manages all the stakeholders and speaks the language of every department. The trust she inspires helps everyone do their jobs more effectively."