Media Group WPP has named Cindy Rose as its new chief executive officer, taking over from the current CEO, Mark Read.
Her appointment will be effective from 1 September 2025, and Read will assist Rose with the transition until the end of the year. She holds dual citizenship for the UK and USA and will be based in New York and London.
Rose has been at Microsoft for the past nine years, where she currently holds the position of chief operating officer, global enterprise. Prior to her current role, she was president of Microsoft Western Europe and CEO of Microsoft UK.
She has also held positions at Vodafone, Virgin Media, The Walt Disney Company and Disney Interactive Media Group.
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.”
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Rose has also been a non-executive director on the WPP Board since 2019 and an advisory board member at Imperial College Business School in London and McLaren Racing.
She received an OBE in the 2019 New Year Honours for her contributions to the UK technology sector.
Philip Jansen, Chair of WPP, said: “Cindy Rose 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.
“Rose 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. Rose’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.”
This follows the firm’s trading update yesterday, which highlighted that the agency’s headline operating profit is expected to fall to £400 million to £425 million.
