WPP chief Mark Read announces exit after steering firm through turbulent era

Mark Read confirmed he will leave his role as CEO of WPP by the end of 2025, concluding a seven-year period that began when he succeeded founder Sir Martin Sorrell amid allegations against the latter. His tenure featured extensive consolidation, cost-reduction measures and navigation of economic pressures such as tariff policies. Read pushed the company into artificial-intelligence territory, launching the internal platform WPP Open, which now supports tens of thousands of employees in idea generation and media planning.

Despite retaining marquee clients like Nestlé and L’Oréal, the firm’s share price has roughly halved, bringing its market valuation to $8.59 billion, and revenue growth has flattened. He also defended a return-to-office mandate that sparked internal dissent. In interviews, Read argued that AI will augment rather than replace creative talent, countering claims from OpenAI’s Sam Altman about the future of agency work.