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Investing.com -- WPP (LON:WPP) said Thursday that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) executive Cindy Rose will become its new Chief Executive Officer, effective September 1, 2025.
Rose, who currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of Global Enterprise at Microsoft, will succeed Mark Read, who will step down after seven years as CEO, the company said in a statement.
The incoming executive has been a non-executive director on WPP’s board since 2019 and brings extensive leadership experience from the technology, telecommunications, media, and creative industries.
Before her current role at Microsoft, which she assumed in March 2023, Rose was President of Microsoft Western Europe and CEO of Microsoft U.K.
Her career also includes senior positions at Vodafone (LON:VOD), Virgin Media, and The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), where she spent 15 years, ultimately as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Disney Interactive Media Group for the EMEA region.
Philip Jansen, Chair of WPP, described Rose as "an outstanding and inspirational business leader" with a track record of growing large-scale businesses and delivering growth in both enterprise and consumer environments.
"Cindy has supported the digital transformation of large enterprises around the world - including embracing AI to create new customer experiences, business models and revenue streams," Jansen said.
Rose, who holds both British and American citizenship, will be based in London and New York. She was awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to U.K. technology.
"WPP is a company I know and love - not only from my six years on the Board but as a client and partner for many years before that," Rose said. "We have and continue to build market-leading AI capabilities, alongside an unrivalled reputation for creative excellence and a preeminent client list."
Read will continue to work with Rose until the end of 2025 to support the transition. He expressed confidence in his successor, noting her "deep experience of technology and AI and its transformational impact on business."