WPP Streamlines Under Four Pillars. Here’s Why

WPP is streamlining its operations into four core strategic units — Creative, Production, Enterprise Solutions, and Media — while keeping its legacy agency brands intact.

Run across four regions — North America, Latin America, EMEA and APAC — this long-anticipated move aims to simplify client access, deliver integrated solutions, and boost growth.

With a target set to exceed $500bn in revenue by 2028, the 'Elevate28' strategic plan is anchored in four objectives: delivering superior growth for clients, becoming a simpler, integrated company, unlocking the potential of WPP Open to build stronger revenue opportunities.

This will be delivered over three stages:

• Stabilise: This year, WPP aims to stabilise its net new business performance, execute cost savings initiatives and rationalise its portfolio.
   

• Phase 2 – Build: Next year, it will offer a transformed go-to-market strategy supported by a more effective operating model offering a fully integrated offer spanning media, creative, production and enterprise solutions.
   

• Phase 3 – Accelerate (2028 and beyond): From 2028, it them aims to be a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business, that is recognised by clients as a trusted growth partner, with accelerated growth, improved margin, and strong cash conversion.

The Four Units of WPP’s New Structure At A Glance

• WPP Creative: The home of iconic agency brands - led by Jon Cook (who will also retain the title of VML global CEO for now)

• WPP Production: Next-generation capabilities for content at scale - led by Richard Glasson (formerly the global CEO of Hogarth)

• WPP Enterprise Solutions: Connecting strategy to execution - led by Jeff Geheb (formerly Global CEO of VML Enterprise Solutions)

• WPP Media: The backbone of integrated marketing - led by global CEO Brian Lesser

The approach aims to align WPP's most critical capabilities under four clear pillars. The move is an attempt to deliver growth more efficiently, integrate offerings across units, and make it easier for clients to access the full power of the holding group.

Here's why WPP is making these changes:

1. Growth at the Heart of Everything

Creative, Production, Media, and Enterprise Solutions are being aligned to drive client growth. Media now sits at the centre of integrated offerings, while production and creative capabilities are upgraded for next-generation campaigns. Enterprise Solutions consolidates strategy, commerce, CRM, content, and technology, enabling clients to access end-to-end services from a single source.

The new structure seeks to position WPP as a true growth partner for its clients, not just a network of agencies.

2. Unified, But Agency Brands Stay

WPP is retaining its agency brands and cultures while creating a unified framework across the four pillars. Teams will be incentivised to work collaboratively across units and regions, breaking down silos and simplifying the client experience. And clients, under this new structure, will now have seamless access to the full suite of WPP capabilities without navigating multiple agency structures - combining choice with integration.

WPP Creative will be the umbrella brand for legacy agencies such as Ogilvy, VML, AKQA, Grey, T&P and their sister agencies, all of which will remain operational as their own entities.

3. Unlocking Enterprise Solutions

Once a hidden strength, Enterprise Solutions will now be elevated as a fully visible, scalable capability. From customer experience to transformation, these services promise to connect strategy to execution, ensuring clients can leverage WPP’s full expertise at scale.

For example, its recently announced partnership with Adobe will allow the company to co-innovate as new tools evolve, bringing cutting-edge solutions directly to clients. WPP is already training its talent on Adobe tools and embedding into client teams, helping transform marketing departments from the inside out. In addition, WPP is also leveraging Adobe’s marketplace to expand its offerings, opening new opportunities and giving clients seamless access to the full range of enterprise capabilities.

4. Building Momentum in Media

Media isn’t just another unit, but has been a focal point of WPP’s simplification and client‑first overhaul. Last year, WPP Media was restructured from its legacy GroupM roots into a unified, AI‑powered offering under a single P&L, designed to remove internal friction and give clients easier access to top talent and strategic thinking across planning, buying and activation.

Agencies including EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker now operate as client service brands under one integrated model, with new leadership roles aligned to client portfolios and performance, reflecting a wider ‘Vision 30’ strategy focused on data, technology, innovation and collaboration. This reinforces media’s role as a backbone of WPP’s integrated offering, enabling faster, more agile and growth‑driven solutions that align with broader client needs.

Early results show the streamlined structure is already winning new business (this week, Estée Lauder consolidated its global media business with WPP) signaling that the company’s momentum is tangible and measurable.

5. A Sustainable Growth Plan

With all four units aligned, WPP now aims to focus investment on growth areas, streamline operations, and allocate capital efficiently.

The reorganisation isn’t just cosmetic: it’s already generating momentum in the market. Under the new structure, WPP is seeing more net sales committed for new client wins in early 2026 than in all of 2025, a sign that the simplified offering is resonating with brands.

WPP bagged a series of accounts in the fourth quarter that propelled the U.K.-based advertising group to No. 1 in net new business wins, according to J.P. Morgan. Early 2026 has seen further high-profile wins, including a global creative and marketing partnership with Jaguar Land Rover, alongside Estée Lauder, Kenview, Henkel, and the UK Government.

The wins underscore early momentum for the newly simplified structure, while the group continues to navigate its broader transformation.

This strategy also sees the Initiation of a new £500m savings plan to fund investment in growth drivers and rebuild margins. Half of that will aim to be delivered by the end of this year.

Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP says:

“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 that's fit for the future. 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.”