Finance
Ad group WPP's COO Andrew Scott to retire at end of year
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 29, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on August 29, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
WPP's COO Andrew Scott is set to retire, with Cindy Rose taking over amid challenges from AI and global competition.
(Reuters) -Advertising group WPP Plc said on Friday its chief operating officer Andrew Scott will retire at the end of the year.
WPP's new boss, Cindy Rose, takes over the top job on Monday from Mark Read, who is standing down after seven years.
Scott had been seen as a possible candidate to replace WPP founder Martin Sorrell when he left in 2018, but he worked alongside Read during his tenure which was marked by fierce competition, technological change and challenges in key sectors and geographies.
Having joined WPP in 1999 as director of Corporate Development, Scot has played a critical role in the company's multiple acquisitions.
WPP, which lost its crown as the world's biggest ad group to France's Publicis last year, is grappling with the transformational impact of AI, which gives clients the tools to create and manage more of their own marketing campaigns.
(Reporting by Kate Holton in London and Shanima A in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
Andrew Scott will retire at the end of the year.
Cindy Rose will take over as WPP's new CEO on Monday.
Scott joined WPP in 1999 and played a critical role in the company's multiple acquisitions.
WPP is grappling with the transformational impact of AI, which affects how clients create and manage advertising.
Scott worked alongside Mark Read during his tenure, which was marked by fierce competition.
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