WPP Brings in McKinsey to Stress-Test Cindy Rose's Turnaround Plan

The advertising giant is pulling out the big guns as it battles to reverse a troubling decline.

WPP has appointed management consulting firm McKinsey to advise on its much-anticipated strategy review, as pressure mounts on new CEO Cindy Rose to chart a recovery path for the beleaguered agency group.

The move comes after WPP issued two profit warnings in three months in July and October sending shockwaves through an industry already grappling with client budget pressures and the upheaval of AI-driven transformation.

Rose, who took the helm from Mark Read on 1 September, first flagged the strategic review in August. She’s promised shareholders full details in early 2026, but the clock is ticking. Annual revenues are projected to decline by between 5.5% and 6%—a performance Rose herself described as “unacceptable” during the Q3 results presentation in October.

McKinsey’s Role: Facilitator and Reality Check

While WPP’s senior leadership is driving the review internally, McKinsey’s management consultants are understood to be helping to “facilitate and stress-test” the planning for the ne…