After more than two decades shaping global advertiser collaboration, strengthening advertising self-regulation and navigating the industry’s dramatic digital shift, Stephan Loerke, Chief Executive Officer of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), will leave the organisation on June 30, 2027, bringing a defining chapter in its leadership to a close.

In a LinkedIn announcement to colleagues and industry stakeholders, Loerke disclosed his decision to step down, expressing pride in the organisation’s growth and appreciation for the people who have contributed to its development throughout his tenure.

Reflecting on his time at the federation, he said, “I’m immensely proud of the organisation we’ve grown and the team we’ve built, and deeply grateful to all WFA colleagues and members, past and present, who have helped make it what it is today.”

Since taking over as CEO in 2003, Loerke has overseen a period of profound change in global advertising, as digital media moved from a marginal component of advertising expenditure to a dominant force in the industry.

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According to the WFA, digital advertising’s share of global advertising spending increased from approximately one per cent to 70 per cent during his time at the organisation, reflecting the scale of the transformation that reshaped media planning, measurement and brand communication.

Before assuming the top position, Loerke joined the federation in 1998 as Public Affairs Manager, reporting to its then Managing Director, Bernhard Adriaensens. He advanced to Deputy Managing Director in 2002 before becoming CEO the following year.

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Prior to joining the WFA, he built his commercial experience at L’Oréal in Belgium, where he served as Product Manager for Garnier Belgium from January 1990 to December 1991 and subsequently became Marketing Director for L’Oréal Paris Belgium, a position he held from January 1992 to September 1994.

Thereafter, Loerke assumed the role of Managing Director of L’Oréal Paris Belgium, serving from 1994 until his departure for the WFA in 1998. Beyond his executive responsibilities, he has played a significant role in initiatives designed to strengthen responsible advertising practices and improve industry-wide cooperation on common challenges.

Among his contributions, Loerke spent 20 years on the Executive Committee of the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), supporting self-regulatory efforts covering sensitive areas such as marketing to children, food advertising and alcohol promotion.

Additionally, he helped establish the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) in 2016 and has served as its Vice-President since its creation, contributing to international collaboration on advertising standards and responsible marketing.

Alongside his work on self-regulation, Loerke became a founding board member of the Unstereotype Alliance in June 2017, an initiative focused on challenging harmful stereotypes in advertising and advancing more progressive portrayals in brand communications.

His involvement in advertising measurement also extended to Halo, the WFA’s global framework for cross-media measurement, which sought to support a more consistent approach to evaluating advertising performance across media channels.

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According to the federation, Halo provided the blueprint for Origin in the United Kingdom and Aquila in the United States, two initiatives associated with efforts to improve cross-media audience measurement. Reacting to the impending departure, David Wheldon, President of the WFA, praised Loerke’s contribution to the organisation and its standing among major international advertisers.

Wheldon said Loerke had established the federation as a trusted partner to some of the world’s largest brands and would leave it in a stronger position than he found it. Meanwhile, the WFA has begun the process of identifying its next chief executive, with the organisation expecting to appoint Loerke’s successor by June 2027, ahead of his scheduled departure at the end of that month.

Leading the succession process is Wheldon, supported by a panel comprising Phil Myers, WFA Vice-President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Ferrero; Jean Luc Chétrit, WFA Treasurer and Director General of the French Advertisers Association, Union des Marques; Jane Wakely, Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer and Chief Growth Officer, International Foods, at PepsiCo; and Cristina Diezhandino, Chief Marketing Officer at Diageo.

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Through the search, the federation will seek a new chief executive to guide its next phase of development while continuing its work on advertiser priorities, responsible marketing, industry collaboration and the evolving demands of the global advertising ecosystem.

Basically, Loerke’s planned exit marks a significant leadership transition for the WFA, following a tenure that encompassed the expansion of digital advertising, sustained efforts to strengthen self-regulation and the development of collaborative approaches to cross-media measurement.

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