According to Business Insider, Cindy Rose marked her 100th day as WPP’s CEO in December 2024, having taken the helm in September. She inherited a company battered by account losses and layoffs, with its share price at lows not seen since 2009. Her early tenure included a key partnership with Google Cloud and an oversubscribed bond sale, but was immediately dampened by a second profit warning, a downgraded growth forecast, and WPP’s demotion from the UK’s FTSE 100 index. Shares have fallen about 18% since she started. Analysts, like Trinity P3’s Darren Woolley who gave her a 7.8/10 score, say her fully outlined strategy for 2025 is the real test, warning she “will not last a year” if it’s not credible.
The AI and people pivot
So, what’s Rose’s play? Her public blueprint focuses on three things: putting people first, being “client-obsessed,” and harnessing AI. Internally, she’s pushing WPP Open and its new self-service version, Open Pro, hard. It’s an AI platform that plugs into OpenAI, Meta, and Salesforce tech. The idea with Open Pro is clever—go after smaller, in-house marketing teams that normally wouldn’t hire a giant agency. They got 400 brand inquiries in three weeks. But here’s the thing: isn’t everyone doing this? Every major holding company is pitching its tech stack now. And can WPP really market a self-service tool better than Google or Meta themselves? It’s a bold, potentially cannibalizing move, but it might be a necessary one.
The invisible CEO problem
One recurring critique in the report is Rose’s relatively low public profile. She gave a well-received internal town hall and did the tough earnings calls, but she’s not “working the room” like her legendary predecessor, Martin Sorrell, used to. At a key AI conference, she was whisked in and out for her session. In an industry built on relationships and showmanship, that’s noticed. The analyst Woolley put it bluntly: WPP “needs more visible leadership.” When your main rival, Publicis Groupe, is led by the omnipresent and charismatic Arthur Sadoun—who literally showed up early to wait outside in the cold for a client meeting—the contrast is stark. Rose’s “peacemaker” and operational style might be great for internal healing, but the external theater of advertising might demand more.
The real battle is creativity
This is the most interesting tension. WPP is betting big on AI and tech platforms, signing that $400 million “expanded” deal with Google. But a former exec pointed out that Rose should shout more about WPP’s creative prowess. Because, honestly, what’s the differentiator if everyone has an AI platform? If tech companies automate the planning and buying, and clients bring more in-house, the last bastion of value is breakthrough creative ideas. “Creativity is the only thing that human beings have got to make a difference,” the former exec said. That feels true. The risk is that in the rush to look tech-savvy for investors, WPP undersells its core artistic product. The strategy needs to fuse the two—use AI as a tool to enable and scale better creativity, not just as a cheaper way to place ads.
A make-or-break year ahead
Basically, Rose’s first 100 days were a mixed bag, which is probably the best anyone could expect. The house was on fire when she walked in. She’s put out some flames, but the structural issues remain. Publicis is eating their lunch, the Omnicom-IPG combo creates another titan, and the entire holding company model is under existential threat from tech and AI. Her 2025 strategy can’t just be a tweak. It has to be a visionary redefinition of what WPP is for. Can she be that bold while also rallying a demoralized workforce and skeptical clients? And can she become a more visible, forceful leader in the process? 2024 was about diagnosis. 2025 is about the cure. If it’s not convincing, the market’s patience—already thin—will vanish completely.
