US EditionCindy Rose Says WPP ‘No Longer a Holdco’ as $676M Annual Savings Drive Begins
- On Thursday, Cindy Rose, WPP CEO, unveiled the three-year 'Elevate28' reboot targeting $676 million in annual savings by 2028, while investors punished the announcement as shares plunged almost 10%.
- With revenues and profits under pressure, Rose cited organisational complexity after WPP posted its worst 2025 financial results, with net sales around $13.6 billion and operating profit collapsing more than 70%.
- Using its WPP Open platform, the company will connect operations to support pitches and client work, assign Jon Cook, VML CEO, to lead WPP Creative housing Ogilvy, VML, and AKQA, and simplify shared services while reinvesting savings into talent and growth.
- WPP staff face potential cuts as the plan targets duplicated roles and shared-service simplification, with headcount already down 8.7% to 98,655 after earlier reductions of around 4,000.
- Rose said the strategy aims to return WPP to organic growth in 2027 and positions the company to pursue consulting-style AI contracts through WPP Enterprise Solutions.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Rising demand for principal media buying underpins WPP’s turnaround plan
Demand for principal based media buying expertise is rising among the industry’s top clients despite long-held transparency concerns, according to WPP’s top execs. Speaking as the once market leading agency group published a turnaround plan on Thursday (Feb. 26) to return the company to commercial growth in 2027, WPP Media boss Brian Lesser and chief financial officer Joanne Wilson said principal trading capabilities was now an established part …
British advertising group projects further revenue decline this year and is betting on structural simplification to resume growth from 2027 onwards.
WPP is shaking up its business model — 3 key takeaways on what it means for staff
Cindy Rose, the CEO of WPP. WPP/Jillian EdelsteinWPP's new CEO, Cindy Rose, has set out her turnaround plan for the ailing ad giant.She's simplifying WPP's structure and targeting about $676 million in cost savings.Here's what her transformation strategy means for WPP's 98,000 staffersWPP is entering a new era.The British ad giant's new CEO, Cindy Rose, on Thursday unveiled a sweeping turnaround plan as the company grapples with cost-cutting cli…
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