British advertising giant WPP plc Thursday announced that Cindy Rose, a Microsoft executive with a specialty in digital technology and AI, as its next chief executive officer, effective 1 September.
Rose succeeds Mark Read, who will step down as CEO on the same date. Read will continue to work with Rose to support the transition until the end of the year.
The appointment of a relative outsider like Rose, currently chief operating officer of global enterprise at Microsoft, comes at a time when WPP has cut its 2025 outlook, citing weaker client spending and a tough macro environment, with revenue now expected to fall up to 5% for the year.
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. 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.
Announcing the appointment, Philip Jansen, chair of WPP, said Rose had “led multi-billion-dollar operations across the UK, EMEA and globally, built enduring client relationships and delivered growth in both enterprise and consumer environments”.
Rose noted: “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.”
