Cindy Rose Addresses WPP’s Staff as Incoming CEO

Cindy Rose addressed WPP workers for the primary time on Wednesday as she prepares to take over as CEO subsequent week, commencing her management of the holding firm as Mark Learn departs.In a video shared with workers and obtained by ADWEEK, Rose famous her expertise with WPP “from many alternative angles”—as a shopper of Gray, VML, and Wunderman Thompson whereas at Vodafone, Virgin, and Microsoft; as a strategic know-how companion throughout her time at Microsoft; and as a WPP board member for the previous six years. “You would say I’ve been a mega-fan of WPP for greater than 15 years now,” Rose mentioned. “I really feel so privileged and impressed to work along with all of you to put in writing WPP’s subsequent chapter, and our subsequent chapter shall be implausible.”Rose formally takes the helm from Learn, who introduced in June that he would step down after seven years as CEO and three many years on the firm, on Monday, Sept. 1. Learn will keep on as an advisor to assist the transition by means of the tip of the yr. WPP introduced in July it had employed Rose, a Microsoft exec and WPP board member since 2018. A brand new chapterRose takes the highest job at one of many world’s largest promoting companies as the corporate recovers from a difficult first half, by which revenues declined 4.3% yr over yr and headcount was lowered by 7,000 workers amid shopper losses and restructuring. “I gained’t sugarcoat this: We’ve plenty of arduous work forward, and naturally, it gained’t be simple,” Rose acknowledged within the video. “However after I take into consideration the property that we now have as an organization—the good individuals we now have, the multi-award-winning inventive work that we produce, our beloved company manufacturers, our superb shoppers, our world attain, our world-leading know-how capabilities—wow. I can not assist however really feel enthusiastic about our future.”Rose invited workers to a world city corridor on Sept. 4, which is able to happen dwell from WPP’s New York headquarters, “in order that [she] can share a bit extra about [WPP’s] path of journey.” Staff will have the ability to ask questions dwell and through a Q+A chat or over electronic mail.“I’m, as you possibly can in all probability inform, tremendous excited to co-create the brand new WPP collectively,” she mentioned.Watch the total video beneath.