He replaces Martin Riley, the former CMO of Pernod Ricard, who has held the post since 2013.

Wheldon has worked for Barclays since February 2012, leading the organisation’s global marketing and citizenship functions.

His appointment was announced at the WFA’s Annual General Meeting, held in Marrakech as part of the WFA’s annual Global Marketer Week, which is being held in Africa for the first time. He will hold the post of WFA president for two years.

Wheldon has worked both agency and client side, recently spending time at Vodafone, where he was global brand director, and Coca-Cola, where he was vice president of advertising as well as holding senior roles in both full-service agencies such as Lowe Howard-Spink and BBDO Europe and media agencies such as Tempus.

"The WFA plays a critical role in our industry in representing marketers’ interests, standing up for what’s best about marketing and helping marketers be more effective and efficient. The organization is experiencing impressive growth from corporates and local advertiser associations, proof in itself of the relevance of the organization and its work. I look forward to helping to shape and drive the WFA agenda at a time where our industry is going through unprecedented change," he said.

His appointment was welcomed by Stephan Loerke, managing director of the WFA. "We're delighted to have David as our new president. He is one of the global industry's most respected figures with enormous experience of working with some of the world’s biggest brands as well as agencies, something that is hugely beneficial as we start a deeper dialogue with advertising holding companies," he said.

"I would also like to pay tribute to Martin Riley and extend him my sincerest thanks on behalf of all WFA members. He has shown remarkable leadership, vision and inclusivity and leaves the organization significantly stronger as a result."

The Executive Committee is made up of senior marketers and public affairs executives to reflect the dual mission of the WFA: to help marketers be more effective and efficient in terms of their marketing communications spend while helping brand owners protect and future-proof their license to operate through advocacy and effective self-regulation.

WFA also announced a number of new corporate members would be joining the board, including:

- Americo Campos Silva as global media manager for Shell;
- Francisco Casa de Falguera as chief marketing officer for Grupo Bimbo;
- Paloma Castro Martinez as director of global corporate affairs for LVMH;
- Damien Cummings as chief marketing officer for Philips ASEAN and Pacific;
- Sameer Desai as head of consumer healthcare for Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa Mundipharma;
- Thomas Holzapfel, as global category leader marketing for Deutsche Telekom; and
- Jean Jacques Velkeniers as VP marketing for Europe, AB InBev.

Sandra Martinelli, executive vice president of the Brazilian Advertisers Association (ABA), also joins the board.

The Executive Committee meets quarterly to determine the WFA’s priorities and guide the organisation’s strategy. The full list of Executive Committee members can be seen here.