What Cindy Rose’s candour in addressing WPP’s revenue slump reveals about leadership today

Much like Zohran Mamdani’s first reel that went viral, “The name is Mamdani”, and eventually opened new doors for him, WPP CEO Cindy Rose’s recent statement has made headlines, even breaking past the bubble of the advertising world. Her words, “I acknowledge our recent performance is unacceptable,” were plastered across publications, revisiting WPP’s revenue decline and dissecting her four-point plan to save the company from its downfall.

Her candour, a rarity in boardroom communication, came as a surprise to some, while others called it a breath of fresh air, an approach that had been missing for the last half decade. At her first quarterly investor meeting, Rose admitted that WPP’s Q3 revenue fell 8.4% year-on-year to £3.3 billion, prompting a revised full-year outlook of a 5.5–6% decline. The company’s market value has slipped below $3.4 billion, a steep fall from its former £25 billion peak, intensifying the pressure on Rose, who took charge just two months ago amid a five-year share price low and a 71% drop in pre-tax profits.

The newly consolidated WPP Media, at the heart of the company’s turnaround, saw revenues fall 8% (2.8% like-for-like), a decline Rose and COO Joanne Wilson attributed to major account losses including Mars, Coca-Cola, and PayPal, partly offset by a new $180 million Mastercard win. Despite sluggish new business momentum and cautious marketing spends, Rose insisted WPP still has “the foundations and ingredients to succeed,” citing leadership changes and an AI-driven strategy already underway.

To calm investor concerns, Rose unveiled a four-point recovery plan anchored in artificial intelligence, a recurring theme she described as the company’s strongest source of optimism. “I genuinely believe there’s never been a better time to be in marketing,” she said, calling AI “a golden age of modern marketing,” with WPP positioned to help clients navigate rapid technological and behavioural shifts.

No sugarcoating ahead

While WPP’s repeated attempts to turn its past on its head and return to profitability remain open for scrutiny, this moment is as much about leadership communication as it is about business strategy. Employees, especially those who sit at the top, set the tone for the rest of the company. Since her joining on September 1, Rose’s leadership values have been questioned.

Amid these ups and downs, and a few more downs, her candour has drawn both admiration and flak. Some marketers in the US said they were ‘stunned’.

Against this backdrop, Rose’s tone stood out. It wasn’t defensive, nor was it performative. It was clear-eyed and deliberate. The remark became symbolic of a new kind of leadership at WPP, one that trades corporate gloss for brutal honesty. And it sparked a debate: was this transparency a communication misstep, or the beginning of a cultural reset at one of the world’s largest advertising groups?

“When Cindy Rose said, ‘I won’t sugarcoat this, we have a lot of hard work ahead,’ she set a new tone for leadership communication. From a PR lens, that honesty isn’t risky, it’s revolutionary. It breaks the old belief that confidence means control. Today, confidence means clarity,” saidPriyanka Bhatt, Founder and CEO, Equations PR and Media.

Vishaal Shah, Co-founder, Moe's Art, echoed this sentiment: “Cindy Rose’s first outing at WPP may have split opinions, but it also signalled a shift in how leaders communicate. Instead of dressing things up, she chose to speak plainly about the company’s challenges. With WPP’s valuation halved and its reputation under pressure, pretending otherwise would have sounded tone-deaf. Her honesty didn’t fix the problem, but it took accountability of the present situation.”

Ajit Narayan, CMO, Socxo (employer branding and advocacy platform), said, “About time someone in the holding companies with large advertising agencies and brands called a spade a spade. Sure, it was almost straight, but the industry needs a real shake-up instead of mollycoddling. And where best to call it? Right where the money trail is. Enough time and money has been spent behind stage managing. Time and effort need to be spent in real introspection and real re-invention.”

According to Naresh Gupta, Co-Founder & CSO, Bang In The Middle, “WPP has been facing decline in revenue and in their share price for years now, and so the new CEO had no option but to accept it publicly. While there is candour in her acceptance, she also has laid down what the giant must do.”

“I believe Cindy Rose’s approach was bold and intentionally so. In an environment where corporate communication often leans towards cautious optimism, her candour stood out. It signalled accountability and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, which is something the market rarely sees and often appreciates,” said Tamanna Gupta, Founder, Umanshi Marketing & PR.

What will people (investors and employees) say?

Rose had to tread carefully, especially since WPP is currently facing a U.S. shareholder class action lawsuit alleging misleading financial disclosures, with investors seeking to recover losses incurred between February and July 2025.

Speaking about Rose’s attempt at calming investors, Ajit Narayan said, “Investors have been around for a long time now and have seen a lot of soft peddling around hard issues. It is time to take control. They would respect that more than the usual soft ‘positivity’ narratives. Times are tough. One needs to take it hard and attempt to solve it. There will be concerns and there could be problems if the implementation of the plans gets derailed.”

Whether her honesty can help employees gain trust in their company, Bhatt pointed out, “Research shows that over 68% of employees trust leaders who are open about challenges more than those who only project success. That’s the shift WPP is driving under Cindy’s leadership — from chasing perfection to embracing progress. In an age of short attention spans and high skepticism, truth speaks louder than polish.”

Can the ship make it to the shores? 

With shrinking revenues, a thinning client roster, and a faltering market position, Rose faces a steep uphill climb.
During the call, Rose leaned heavily on WPP’s AI ambitions, an effort to reframe the company as a forward-thinking player rather than a struggling legacy giant. Yet, seeing a decades-old holding company champion AI in late 2025 feels less visionary and more overdue. It’s a reminder that while others were building the future, WPP was still finding its footing. The industry has had four years since ChatGPT’s debut to harness AI’s potential, time WPP can no longer afford to make up for.

As questions swirl around WPP’s delayed AI focus, Naresh Gupta reflected, “Media business is their growth engine and WPP Media has to find a way to get back into the game. I am not sure if just focusing on AI and trying to drive efficiency using AI is the solution. That ship sailed sometime back. They need sharper execution and greater speed. They have the ability and talent to do that.”

Actions awaited

Actions, though gradual, have been taken. WPP revealed a five-year extension of its partnership with Google, focused on advancing cloud and AI technology and developing the necessary skills to revolutionize marketing. Furthermore, WPP recently brought in the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company to aid its ongoing strategic review. The consulting firm’s role is to ‘facilitate and stress-test’ the planning of this refreshed strategy.

But to truly succeed, Rose will need to do more than steer WPP toward the future, she’ll need to redefine what that future means. The task ahead isn’t merely about damage control or restoring profits; it’s about confronting a larger, existential question echoing across the industry: What does WPP stand for today?

Tamanna Gupta added, “Honesty alone isn’t enough. In communication, candour without clarity can quickly shift from refreshing to risky. The key lies in balance: acknowledge the challenge, but immediately pivot to the plan. What matters most is how she translates that openness into action and measurable outcomes.”

She said that in her experience, transparency grabs attention. However, she added it’s a clear roadmap that builds confidence.

Rose clearly has everyone’s attention now, more than ever, because she’s trying to keep a ship, once steady but now sinking, afloat. Her predecessor, Mark Read, couldn’t steady the currents.

Commenting on what this moment demands from Rose’s leadership, Vishaal Shah said, “Candour is only the first step. Transparency means little without visible action. The group needs to showcase stabilising leadership, embrace technology faster, and demonstrate measurable progress. Going forward, WPP’s communication strategy needs to balance both — let Rose stay authentic and direct, while ensuring the overall messaging remains consistent, factual, and grounded in results.”

Adding a note of realism, Ajit Narayan said, “Whether this will remain a ballsy speech or really translate into action — the latter is even more difficult. There could be short-term chaos across the holding company and its people, as real change creates turbulence. If this is the start, then it is a good move.”

Lessons in modern leadership

While Rose’s approach is not new in corporate leadership, it is new for WPP, and it sets a tone for the advertising industry.

“Leaders who show up with honesty, empathy, and clarity of direction tend to inspire far more confidence than those who simply project confidence. Transparency, in my view, has become a strategic asset but only when combined with discipline,” said Tamanna Gupta.

Bhatt concluded, “The leaders of tomorrow won’t be defined by perfect headlines, but by honest conversations. Cindy Rose’s candour is a reminder that the future of PR isn’t about storytelling, it’s about story-owning.”

Shah added, “In many ways, Rose’s tone reflects what modern audiences demand from leadership, being credible and accountable. People today don’t need perfection; they just need to believe you. Her message may not have been comforting, but it was, and in rebuilding trust, that’s where it always begins.”

Cindy Rose’s candour may have unsettled the status quo, but it also marks a reset for what leadership communication could look like, less about spin, more about sincerity.