Cindy Rose takes the helm at WPP with cautious optimism

New CEO promises renewal as the holding company navigates losses, layoffs and industry upheaval

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Cindy Rose used her first address to WPP staff to strike a balance between candour and optimism. In a short video message she acknowledged the group’s rough half year with client losses, revenue sliding 4.3% and 7,000 jobs gone, but argued that WPP’s creative firepower and global reach give it a platform to recover.

Rose, who formally becomes chief executive on 1 September, is hardly a stranger to the business. She has hired WPP agencies while running marketing at Vodafone, Virgin and Microsoft, worked alongside the group as a technology partner at Microsoft, and sat on its board since 2018. “You could say I’ve been a mega-fan of WPP for more than 15 years,” she told staff.

Her arrival comes after a turbulent spell. Mark Read, who succeeded Sir Martin Sorrell in 2018, steadied the company but never managed to close the gap with faster moving rivals. He departs with the industry still questioning whether holding companies can grow margins against the likes of Google, Meta and Accenture. Read will stay on until year end as an adviser, but the task of finding momentum now falls squarely on Rose.

She avoided the easy gloss. “I won’t sugarcoat this: We have a lot of hard work ahead, and of course, it won’t be easy,” she said. But her tone quickly shifted towards reassurance, stressing WPP’s “brilliant people,” its creative track record, its roster of brands and its technology partnerships. For nervous staff it was equal parts pep talk and damage control.

The next real test will come on 4 September when she fronts a global town hall streamed from New York. Employees will get the chance to quiz her, but the bigger audience may be investors and clients watching for signs that WPP still has a distinctive pitch.

Rose’s background in telecoms, consumer technology and creative services could help here. She understands how platforms like Microsoft present themselves to clients and how agencies try to frame their own value. That mix of perspectives is rare. For now her main job is to stabilise morale. “I am, as you can probably tell, super excited to co-create the new WPP together,” she told staff.

Excitement is one thing. Turning it into growth is another. WPP’s new boss has signalled intent; the harder part will be proving the company can still set the pace in an industry being reshaped at speed.