WPP CEO Cindy Rose Unveils Restructuring Push

WPP's CEO Cindy Rose is gearing up for a broad-scale restructuring of the British advertising group as she seeks to stabilize the business and adapt it to an industry that is increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence, according to a report by the Financial Times.

In the first media interaction since she took over the CEO post in September, Rose stated that London-listed WPP needs to make its operations a lot simpler. She said the traditional agency network model no longer represents the way clients purchase services today, saying a detailed transformation blueprint would be shared early next year.

Rose called making WPP more integrated rather than strictly a holding company a "shift for WPP away from a holding company toward a more integrated modality of operations." More than half the pitches in the group now contain cross-disciplinary ones across creative, media, commerce, data, and influencer capabilities.

The reset follows at a time of sustained pressure on WPP, including client exits, warnings of profits and a dramatic drop in market value. Since taking charge as CEO, Rose has emphasized direct client engagement and execution in an attempt to build confidence among investors and customers.

Dealing with artificial intelligence, the CEO denied the argument that WPP is being left behind in comparison with other industry peers, pointing to WPP Open, which is an AI-driven marketing platform, as a key driver behind future growth. She recognized that artificial intelligence will change jobs and business models around pricing and yet, she valued it as a long-term opportunity rather than an existential threat.

Rose, who succeeded Mark Read in leading Microsoft's Europe business, stated that management already has control over the ongoing transformation.