WPP Hires Microsoft’s Cindy Rose as CEO Amid Advertising Slowdown

Advertising holding company WPP Plc said it has hired Microsoft executive Cindy Rose as its next chief executive, effective 1 September. Rose, currently chief operating officer of Microsoft’s Global Enterprise unit, will succeed Mark Read, who has led the London-listed group since 2018. Read will work alongside Rose through the end of the year to facilitate the handover. Rose has served as an independent director on WPP’s board since 2019 and previously ran Microsoft’s UK and Western Europe operations. Chair Philip Jansen said her background in digital technology and artificial intelligence would help the company adapt to a fast-changing advertising market. WPP has struggled with client cutbacks and macroeconomic headwinds; its share price has fallen roughly 50 % during Read’s seven-year tenure. The company warned this week that second-quarter trading had “deteriorated” as the period progressed.