WPP has announced that Cindy Rose has been appointed as chief executive officer (CEO) of the company, effective 1 September 2025. Cindy succeeds Mark Read who will step down as CEO on the same date.
WPP taps Cindy Rose, tech leader, as new CEO. Source: WPP.
From Microsoft to WPP
Read will continue to work with Rose to support the transition until the end of the year.
WPP said in a statement that Rose has extensive experience as a leader in the technology, telecommunications, media, entertainment and creative industries gained at world-leading brands.
She has spent the last nine years in senior leadership positions at Microsoft where she is currently chief operating officer, Global Enterprise. In this role she helps the world’s largest companies use digital technology and AI to drive business transformation.
Before being appointed to her current Microsoft role in March 2023, Rose was president of Microsoft Western Europe and CEO of Microsoft UK. Other previous roles include managing director of the UK consumer business at Vodafone and executive director of Digital Entertainment and Media Sales at Virgin Media. She also spent 15 years at The Walt Disney Company, ultimately as senior vice president and managing director of Disney Interactive Media Group, EMEA.
Rose has been a non-executive director on the WPP Board since 2019. She is a graduate of Columbia University and New York Law School, and an Advisory Board Member at Imperial College Business School in London and McLaren Racing.
Rose has British and American citizenship and will be based in both London and New York. She was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours in recognition of her services to UK technology.
Billion-dollar operations
Philip Jansen, chair of WPP, said: “Cindy is an outstanding and inspirational business leader with extensive experience at some of the world’s most recognised companies and a track record of growing large-scale businesses.
"She has led multi-billion-dollar operations across the UK, EMEA and globally, built enduring client relationships and delivered growth in both enterprise and consumer environments.
“Cindy has supported the digital transformation of large enterprises around the world – including embracing AI to create new customer experiences, business models and revenue streams.
"Her expertise in this landscape will be hugely valuable to WPP as the industry navigates fundamental changes and macroeconomic uncertainty. Cindy’s appointment follows a thorough selection process that considered both internal and external candidates.
"As an existing Board member she understands our business and the needs of our clients, and we look forward to working with her in her new role as CEO.
“As he hands over to Cindy, I would like to reiterate my sincere thanks to Mark for his tireless commitment during more than 30 years with WPP and in particular, the progress he has made to modernise, simplify and transform the company over the last seven years as CEO.
"On behalf of the Board and the company as a whole, I wish him all the very best for the future.”
Coming home
Rose added: “WPP is a company I know and love – not only from my six years on the Board but as a client and partner for many years before that – and I couldn’t be happier or more excited to be appointed as CEO. I began my career in the creative industries, and this feels like coming home.
“There are so many opportunities ahead for WPP. We have and continue to build market-leading AI capabilities, alongside an unrivalled reputation for creative excellence and a preeminent client list. WPP has the most brilliant, talented, and creative people, and I look forward to writing the company's next chapter together.
“I am grateful to Mark for his many contributions to the business over the years, and I look forward to working together to ensure a smooth handover.”
Added Read, “Having worked closely with Cindy for the last six years, I am delighted to see her appointed as CEO of WPP. From her time on the Board, she has real insight into our business and knows many of our clients, people and partners around the world.
“She brings deep experience of technology and AI and its transformational impact on business, and has successfully run large global organisations with talent at their core. After seven years as CEO, I know that I am leaving WPP in excellent hands.”
Share price weakens
The news comes as WPP's shares [[https://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/1074384/wpp-shares-slump-14-after-ad-giant-sounds-the-earnings-alarm-1074384.html dropped 14%] in early trading following an updated outlook that lowered revenue and profit expectations for 2025.
The company said its due to a tougher economic environment and weaker new business as reasons for the revision.
WPP now expects first-half like-for-like revenue to fall between 4.2% and 4.5%, with the second quarter’s decline steepening to 5.5% to 6.0%.
This compares unfavourably with earlier forecasts and reflects one-off impacts alongside broader macroeconomic challenges.
