WPP plc (LON:WPP) has announced multi-year strategic plan to simplify and integrate client proposition, restore growth and drive long-term value for clients, talent and shareholders
“My first six months as CEO have only reinforced my conviction that WPP is an extraordinary company. As our clients navigate uncertainty, AI disruption and macro-volatility, we’re looking ahead with a clear and focused mission: to be the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands in the era of AI.
“Today we are unveiling a bold plan for a simpler, more integrated WPP. Our intention is to stabilise the business, return to organic growth, create capacity to invest in the future and deliver attractive returns for our shareholders. WPP will become a single company, streamlined into four operating units across four regions, all unified by our pioneering agentic marketing platform, WPP Open.
“Our recent underperformance has been driven by excessive organisational complexity, a lack of an integrated operating model and inconsistent strategic execution. While disappointing, I see huge potential as these issues are all within our power to fix and we’re already making great progress.
“We have everything we need to succeed: exceptional talent, world-class capabilities, trusted data and technology solutions and groundbreaking partnerships, as well as the scale and reach to service the most complex multi-national, multi-brand clients in the world. The momentum we are seeing from the decisive action we’ve already taken gives me the confidence that we’re on the right path to creating a WPP that is fit for the future and built to win.”
Cindy Rose OBE, Chief Executive Officer of WPP
Strategy Update: Elevate28
WPP today announces ‘Elevate28’, a multi-year strategic plan to simplify and integrate our client proposition, restore growth and drive long-term value for clients, talent and shareholders. Transitioning from a holding company structure to a single company, WPP will simplify its business to deliver fully integrated, AI-enabled solutions through four core operating units: WPP Media, WPP Creative, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions across four regions, North America, Latin America, EMEA and APAC.
Central to this strategy is a new mission: to be the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands, helping them navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver growth, while transforming their business in a dynamic, complex environment. The plan focuses on stabilising the business in 2026, building momentum in 2027, and delivering accelerated, high-quality growth from 2028, supported by £500m of gross annualised cost savings and portfolio rationalisation to unlock value.
Meeting to cover the Strategy Update and 2025 Results at 9.30am GMT/4.30am EST:
• In-person meeting: Please contact WPP Investor Relations at [email protected] for more details and to register
• Webcast: Live webcast will be available here
ELEVATE28: OUR STRATEGY TO STABILISE WPP SHORT-TERM, BUILD A NEW PLATFORM FOR GROWTH AND ACCELERATE FUTURE PERFORMANCE
• Deliver superior growth for clients
• Lead with Media at the heart of an integrated proposition
• Establish next-generation Creative and Production capabilities
• Elevate Enterprise Solutions to partner with clients on AI transformation
• Become a simpler, integrated company
• Simplify the operating model
• Strengthen execution and transform our go-to-market
• Drive a high-performance culture and attract and retain the world’s best talent
• Unlock the advantage of WPP Open
• Connect capabilities through WPP Open
• Differentiate with trusted data solutions through Open Intelligence
• Expand strategic technology and data partnerships
• Create firm financial foundations for the future
• Unlock £500m of annual cost savings, enabling a reallocation of investment
• Focus the portfolio to reduce leverage and create further capacity to invest in growth
• Disciplined capital allocation with a focus on maintaining an investment-grade balance sheet while delivering attractive returns for shareholders
OUTLOOK & PHASES OF DELIVERY
The plan is designed to deliver sustained growth through three distinct phases:
• Phase 1 – Stabilise (2026): The immediate priority is to stabilise net new business performance. We will execute cost savings initiatives and rationalise the portfolio.
• Phase 2 – Build (2027): Our transformed go-to-market strategy supported by a more effective operating model will be embedded and will help deliver a fully integrated offer spanning media, creative, production and enterprise solutions. We are targeting a return to organic growth during the course of 2027.
• Phase 3 – Accelerate (2028 and beyond): We aim to be a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business, recognised by clients as a trusted growth partner, showing accelerated growth, improved margin and strong cash conversion.
To achieve this transformation and deliver £500m of gross savings by 2028, we anticipate total cash costs of approximately £400m phased over two years. We will reinvest a significant portion of savings into high-growth areas. See below for more details.
WPP’s Strategy Update and 2025 Preliminary Results announcement has been submitted in full unedited text to the Financial Conduct Authority’s National Storage Mechanism and will be available shortly for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.
