Industry Expert Publishes Analysis of Foster v. WPP, Examining Allegations of Retaliation for Whistleblower Report That WPP Built a $1 Billion Non-Disclosed Profit Center at Clients' Expense
March 20, 2026 — Nick Manning, founder of Encyclomedia International and Non-Executive Chairman of Media Marketing Compliance (MMC), who served as Chief Strategy Officer at Ebiquity and co-founded Manning Gottlieb OMD has published a detailed analysis of Foster v. WPP, the retaliation and wrongful termination lawsuit pending in New York Supreme Court. The analysis is available on Mr. Manning's LinkedIn.
The case was brought by Richard Foster, a 17-year veteran of GroupM, WPP's media-buying arm, who served as global CEO of Motion Content Group. Mr. Foster alleges WPP terminated him in retaliation for raising concerns that the company was improperly profiting from advertising rebates and discounts — rather than returning those savings to clients — creating a non-disclosed profit center worth nearly $1 billion in 2024 alone.
Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors retained Mr. Manning as an expert witness on behalf of Mr. Foster. His analysis scrutinizes court documents, including "Project Claridges," that exposes the media trading practices at the center of Foster's whistleblower report, as well as the implications of those practices for WPP's newly announced "Elevate 28" strategy.
"Nick Manning's analysis makes clear what this case already demonstrates from the outset — that WPP surreptitiously prioritized its own financial interests over the clients to whom they owed fiduciary duties," said William A. Brewer III, partner at Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors and lead counsel to Mr. Foster.
"Richard Foster blew the whistle on closely guarded media trading practices internally, at considerable personal cost, because he believed the clients deserved better. Mr. Manning's work brings expert weight to the court record, and we welcome the scrutiny," Mr. Brewer added.
The full analysis can be viewed here.
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