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Tag: Philip Jansen

  • WPP names Microsoft executive Cindy Rose as new chief executive

    WPP names Microsoft executive Cindy Rose as new chief executive

    MUMBAI: WPP  today announced a significant leadership change, appointing Cindy Rose as its new chief executive officer, effective 1 September 2025. She will succeed Mark Read, who steps down on the same date after a 30-year tenure with the company, including seven years as CEO.  Read will assist  Rose with the transition until the end of the year.

    Rose brings extensive experience from the technology, telecommunications, media, entertainment, and creative industries. For the past nine years, she has held senior leadership roles at Microsoft, most recently as chief operating officer, global enterprise, where she focused on leveraging digital technology and AI for business transformation. Before this, she served as president of Microsoft Western Europe and CEO of Microsoft UK.

    Her impressive career also includes leadership positions at Vodafone (managing director, UK consumer 
    business) and Virgin Media (executive director, digital entertainment and media sales). She spent 15 years at The Walt Disney Co, culminating 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, giving her an intimate understanding of the company’s operations. An alumna of Columbia University and New York Law School, she also serves as an advisory board member at Imperial College Business School and McLaren Racing. Holding both British and American citizenship, she will split her time between London and New York. In recognition of her services to UK technology, she was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours.

    WPP chair Philip Jansen 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.”

    Rose expressed her excitement about returning to the creative industries.  

    She said: “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, creative people and I can’t wait to write 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.”

    Mark Read said:

    “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.”

  • WPP boss Mark Read to sign off at year-end after 30-year ad-venture

    WPP boss Mark Read to sign off at year-end after 30-year ad-venture

    MUMBAI: WPP plc has just hit ‘next’ on its leadership playlist. The British ad giant announced that long-time chief executive officer Mark Read will hang up his boots and step down from the board on 31 December 2025, marking the end of a 30-year run—including a high-octane seven-year stint steering the ship as CEO. The search for his successor is already underway.

    WPP chair  Philip Jansen, heaped praise on Read’s legacy, hailing him as a transformational force. “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Mark for his contributions not only as CEO but throughout his more than 30 years of leadership and service to the Company. During that time Mark has played a central role in transforming the Company into a world leader in modern marketing services, with deep AI, data and technology capabilities, global presence and unrivalled creative talent, setting WPP up well for longer-term success,” said Jansen.” We are pleased that Mark will continue to lead WPP as CEO until the end of the year, remaining focused on the execution of the Company’s growth strategy and supporting a smooth transition to his successor, once appointed.”

    In a heartfelt sign-off, Read said leading WPP had been “an immense privilege.” When he took the reins in 2018, his mission was to simplify the business, power up its creative engines, and plug it into cutting-edge tech. By most accounts, he’s delivered.

    Said Read: “WPP is an incredible company with over 100,000 talented and creative people, wonderful clients and partners, and an unmatched presence around the world. It has been an immense privilege to serve as its CEO for the past seven years.

    “When I took on this role our mission was to build a simpler, stronger business, and put structure and new energy behind our creativity and performance, powered by world-leading technology. I am proud that our teams across the business have delivered that exceptionally well. Our clients today rate us more highly than ever before, we now work with four of the world’s five most valuable companies, and our revenues with our biggest clients have grown consistently.

    “Our business starts with creativity, and I was delighted for our teams that last year we were once again named Creative Company of the Year at Cannes Lions. We have also positioned WPP at the forefront of the industry with our investments in AI and, with the full launch of WPP Open this year, we are now leading the way as AI transforms marketing. We have an exceptional leadership team and a secure financial position that allows us to face the future confidently and capture the opportunities ahead.

    “After seven years in the role, and with the foundations in place for WPP’s continued success, I feel it is the right time to hand over the leadership of this amazing company. I am excited to explore the next chapter in my life and can only thank all the brilliant people I have been lucky enough to work with over the last 30 years, and who have made possible the enormous progress we have achieved together. I would also like to thank Phil and the rest of the Board for their steadfast support for me and the wider executive team, and I look forward to supporting them in the transition to my successor in the coming months.”

    WPP now works with four of the world’s five most valuable companies, and its largest clients are spending more than ever. He also gave a nod to WPP Open, the firm’s AI-powered platform, calling it a game-changer that’s keeping WPP ahead of the curve as artificial intelligence rewrites the rules of marketing.

    “I feel it is the right time to hand over the leadership of this amazing company,” said Read. “We’ve built the foundations for future success, and I look forward to exploring the next chapter in my life.”

    WPP, which employs over 100,000 people across the globe, is now on the hunt for a new commander-in-chief to build on Read’s digital-first, AI-fuelled momentum.

    The Mad Men era is long gone—WPP 2.0 is ready for its next act.