Sir Martin Sorrell gets a golden goodbye from WPP

SIR MARTIN SORRELL is a big beast of British business. As the head for 32 years of what is now the world’s largest ad agency, WPP, he spearheaded its transformation from a wire-basket maker to a marketing powerhouse. He is a regular at the World Economic Forum at Davos, and other international gabfests. He has for years been the best-compensated chief executive in the FTSE 100.

Then in April came an abrupt resignation. No official explanation was offered, other than that the resignation followed an internal investigation into personal misconduct and the misuse of company assets, but that the amounts involved were “not material”. Sir Martin has signed a non-disclosure agreement; the company is bound by data-privacy laws. News reports over the past week suggest Sir Martin may have visited a brothel, and that the line between personal and company expenses was blurred. He denies those allegations. But his departure, and the manner of it, raises questions about the future of both the firm and the man.