WPP has appointed Cindy Rose as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective September 1, 2025. She will succeed Mark Read, who will step down on the same date after more than three decades with the company. Read will continue to support the transition process until the end of the year.
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Rose, currently Chief Operating Officer (COO)- Global Enterprise at Microsoft, has held several senior roles at the company over the past nine years, including President of Microsoft Western Europe and CEO of Microsoft UK. She has also previously worked with Vodafone, Virgin Media, and The Walt Disney Company, where she held leadership positions across technology, media, and digital business verticals.
Rose has served as a Non-Executive Director on the WPP Board since 2019. She holds dual British and American citizenship and will be based in both London and New York in her new role.
“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,” said Philip Jansen, Chair of WPP. “Her expertise in this landscape will be hugely valuable to WPP as the industry navigates fundamental changes and macroeconomic uncertainty.”
“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,” said Cindy Rose. “We have and continue to build market-leading AI capabilities, alongside an unrivalled reputation for creative excellence and a preeminent client list. I can’t wait to write the company’s next chapter together.”
Mark Read, who has led WPP since 2018, said, “Having worked closely with Cindy for the last six years, I am delighted to see her appointed as CEO of WPP. She brings deep experience of technology and AI and has successfully run large global organisations with talent at their core.”
