Finance
Factbox-Who is WPP's new CEO Cindy Rose?
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 10, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Quick Summary
Cindy Rose is named WPP's new CEO, succeeding Mark Read. With a strong background at Microsoft, she aims to lead WPP's recovery.
Cindy Rose Appointed as New CEO of WPP, Leading Recovery Efforts
(Reuters) -Britain's WPP named board member Cindy Rose as the advertising group's new chief executive on Thursday, tasking the senior Microsoft executive with leading its recovery after she succeeds Mark Read on September 1.
Rose, 59, who has both British and American citizenship, is a graduate of Columbia University and New York Law School and has been a non-executive director on the WPP board since 2019.
Here is a breakdown of her career and some milestones:
MICROSOFT :
* Spent nine years in senior leadership roles
* February 2023 - Present: Chief Operating Officer, Global Enterprise Sales
* October 2020 - February 2023: President, Microsoft Western Europe
* July 2016 - October 2020: Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft UK
* 2019 - helped lead a government study into the competitiveness of the UK's technology sector
* The same year, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE), awarded by the UK government
VODACOM UK :
* October 2013 - May 2016: Managing Director, Consumer Division
VIRGIN MEDIA:
* November 2009 - June 2013: Executive Director, Digital Entertainment
DISNEY:
* Spent 15 years in various roles
* September 2007 - November 2009: Senior Vice President & Managing Director, EMEA, at Disney Interactive Media Group
* September 2001 - September 2007: Senior Vice President & Regional Managing Director, UK, Ireland, Southern Europe & Middle East at the Walt Disney Company
* October 1998 - September 2001: Vice President Legal & Government Relations
OTHERS:
Rose served as a director at Informa between April 2014 and May 2019, and Talkmobile between July 2014 and April 2016.
(Reporting by Ankita Bora and Nithyashree R B in Bengaluru;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Key Takeaways
- •Cindy Rose appointed as WPP's new CEO.
- •She succeeds Mark Read on September 1.
- •Rose has held senior roles at Microsoft.
- •She has dual British and American citizenship.
- •Rose has been a WPP board member since 2019.
Frequently Asked Questions about Factbox-Who is WPP's new CEO Cindy Rose?
1Who is Cindy Rose?
Cindy Rose is the newly appointed CEO of WPP, previously serving as a senior executive at Microsoft. She has both British and American citizenship and has been a non-executive director on the WPP board since 2019.
2What notable roles did Cindy Rose hold at Microsoft?
Cindy Rose held several senior leadership roles at Microsoft, including Chief Operating Officer for Global Enterprise Sales and President of Microsoft Western Europe. She was also the CEO of Microsoft UK from 2016 to 2020.
3What recognition did Cindy Rose receive in 2019?
In 2019, Cindy Rose was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her contributions to the UK technology sector.
4What companies did Cindy Rose work for before joining WPP?
Before joining WPP, Cindy Rose worked at Vodacom UK as Managing Director of the Consumer Division, at Virgin Media as Executive Director of Digital Entertainment, and spent 15 years at Disney in various roles.
5What is the significance of Cindy Rose's appointment as CEO?
Cindy Rose's appointment as CEO of WPP is significant as she is tasked with leading the company's recovery efforts. Her extensive experience in the technology and media sectors is expected to bring valuable insights to the advertising group.
