WPP Chief Executive Officer Mark Read has announced that he will step down from his role at the end of this year, after nearly seven years at the helm. He will remain fully committed until then, supporting the Board in appointing his successor.
“It’s never a perfect time to move on from such an organisation, but after almost seven years as CEO, I’ve decided this is the right time for me,” Read shared.
Under his leadership, WPP has become a simpler, stronger company—serving four of the world’s most valuable companies, taking on major assignments, and consistently growing revenue with top clients. Client satisfaction scores are at record highs.
Read praised the creativity and commitment of WPP’s teams, highlighting their achievements across media, creative, design, PR, and production. He also emphasized the company’s push to put AI at the heart of its business, including the development of WPP Open.
“Despite all our investments in technology, we are ultimately a people business,” Read said. “It has been an immense privilege to lead this extraordinary company. I’m grateful to every one of our people, clients, and partners.”
He concluded, “It’s not goodbye. And for now, it’s very much business as usual at WPP and for me.”
