Who Is Mark Read: Leadership Stint at WPP, Resignation, and Views on Future of Advertising

The world of marketing and advertising has been rocked by news that Mark Read, CEO of advertising giant WPP, is stepping down from his role after 30 years with the company–seven of which served as the head honcho of the London-based firm.

Read's resignation follows a series of internal mergers, rebrands of its subsidiary agencies, and new product launches promoting the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for cost efficiency in the industry.

Reflecting on a Career-Defining Journey

In a press release announcing his resignation, Read highlighted the company's transformation during his tenure and praised WPP's global talent, clients, and partners. He reflected on his mission to simplify and strengthen the business while enhancing creativity and performance through 'cutting-edge technology.'

'When I took on this role, our mission was to build a simpler, stronger business and put structure and new energy behind our creativity and performance, powered by world-leading technology. I am proud that our teams across the business have delivered that exceptionally well,' he said.

Read reflected on the firm's achievements, including being recognised as the 'Creative Company of the Year' at Cannes Lions. It is worth noting that the advertising giant has been recently named as 'Creative Company of the Year' at Cannes Lions 2025, as they won a total of 168 Lions during the event.

'I am excited to explore the next chapter in my life and can only thank all the brilliant people I have been lucky enough to work with over the last 30 years and who have made possible the enormous progress we have achieved together,' he added.

More on Mark Read's Career

Mark Read first worked for WPP as a corporate development manager from 1989 to 1995 before joining the consulting firm Booz & Company (later acquired by PwC) as a media and entertainment practice principal from 1995 to 1999.

He then co-founded the internet start-up WebRewards in 1999, focusing on the online loyalty business. In 2001, it was sold to German media conglomerate Bertelsmann.

Read returned as head of strategy for WPP directly from 2002 to 2012. During this tenure, he also served as CEO of WPP Digital and as a board member for the firm. He then headed to global digital agency Wunderman as its CEO, overseeing the agency's merger with legacy firm J. Walter Thompson to form Wunderman Thompson.

In 2018, he returned to WPP to serve as its chief operating officer for six months before being appointed as its new CEO in the same year.

Highlighting AI's Role in Advertising

Read also highlighted how WPP is leading the industry in using artificial intelligence in advertising, mentioning the recent launch of its service, 'WPP Open'.

'We have also positioned WPP at the forefront of the industry with our investments in AI and, with the full launch of WPP Open this year, we are now leading the way as AI transforms marketing,' Read said.

It is worth noting that WPP recently released 'Open Intelligence,' a new data solution featuring what they claim as an 'industry's first large marketing model,' designed to produce predictive insights from vast volumes of audience, behavioural, and event data.

'Our approach allows media owners and marketers to collaborate in generating predictive intelligence without compromising data ownership,' WPP previously stated.

Leadership Laced With Agency Mergers

During Mark Read's tenure as CEO of WPP, the company underwent significant structural transformation through a series of high-profile agency mergers and rebrands.

In 2018, Read launched a significant consolidation effort by merging creative powerhouse Y&R with digital agency VML to form VMLY&R, followed shortly by the merger of J. Walter Thompson with Wunderman to create Wunderman Thompson. Grey was later combined with AKQA in 2020 to form the AKQA Group, blending creative and digital expertise.

In the media space, WPP unified Essence and Mediacom into EssenceMediacom in 2023, reinforcing GroupM's data-driven media strategy.

On the PR front, BCW and Hill & Knowlton merged in 2024 to form Burson, creating one of the world's largest communications agencies.

Overall, Mark Read's leadership at WPP was defined by bold structural simplification, digital integration, and a focus on creative and technological innovation–despite the cost of agency mergers, where top talents are amongst those laid off.