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Mark Read doesn’t fear change—he embraces it. In 2018 he took over WPP, one of the world’s largest advertising groups by revenue, and was immediately forced to navigate the toughest chapter in its 40-year history. Today, the group boasts many of the Fortune Global 500’s biggest household names as clients, including Unilever, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and L’Oréal.
Becoming CEO wasn’t on Read’s strategic road map. Seven years on, he reflects on the experience as “a journey.” Replacing the group’s founder, Sir Martin Sorrell, who left following a series of allegations about his conduct in office, at a time when the industry was still coming to terms with the rise of adtech platforms from Meta and Alphabet, was a task for only the bravest of leaders. What followed was a series of consolidations, cost-cutting, and the fresh economic turmoil created by the Trump government’s tariffs.
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WPP rank on Fortune 500 Europe
Read began his career at WPP in 1989. A decade later, around the time of the dotcom bubble, he left to step into the world of startups, cofounding WebRewards, a U.K.-based loyalty platform, which went on to be sold to a competitor in 2001.
That entrepreneurial experience had a lasting impact on his leadership style: “If you’re not on top of the details, it’s a problem.” Today, as CEO of WPP at 58 years old, he has led the way in embracing AI, spearheading WPP’s own AI platform.
Speaking to Fortune at WPP’s headquarters on the banks of the River Thames in London, he showed off WPP Open, a suite of AI tools developed in-house, of which Read says he is one of the most engaged users. His enthusiasm for AI is infectious. Today, 48,000 of WPP’s global staff use AI for coming up with ideas, content production across print and digital, and media strategy. Almost every leader is dabbling in AI, but Read has put it front and center.
For Read, who is fueled by Nespresso coffee (he values consistency), it’s not all smooth sailing. During his tenure, WPP’s share price has nearly halved, knocking the holding company market valuation to $8.59 billion as it navigates flatlining revenue growth among its myriad of agencies and a wave of staff anger over its controversial return-to-office policy: “We knew it wasn’t going to be a popular decision with everybody, but we think it’s the right thing for the long-term success of the company,” he says.
Today, advertising is undergoing its next transformational shift. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, has repeatedly taken aim, claiming that “95% of what marketers use agencies, strategists, and creative professionals for today will easily, nearly instantly, and at almost no cost be handled by the AI.”
Read is tackling Altman’s audacious claim head-on by embracing the opportunities that AI offers while leaning into WPP’s strengths: “Creativity will be important, if not more important, in the future.” In contrast to Altman, Read believes AI will augment, not replace, the talent behind one of the world’s largest advertising groups.
This interview has been edited for brevity.
Down to business
Fortune: How have your startup experience and being a digital leader influenced your role as a CEO today?
I learned pretty quickly in a startup that if you’re not on top of the details, it can be a bit of a problem. I asked the CFO one day whether our invoices had been paid, and he told me he forgot to send them out! You have to take time to understand the technology, what’s happening, how things work, and how it’s going to impact the business. I do get involved in how we’re deploying technology in the business [and hold] a weekly AI meeting every Friday. For many entrepreneurs, they’re intimately involved in the details, particularly in technology, and that is critical.
Which long-term trend are you most bullish about for society and the economy at large?
AI is going to be transformative to our business.
We showed WPP Open, our AI platform, to Sam Altman’s CMO, and she asked if she could get access to it. When the CMO of OpenAI says, “I’d love to use your platform,” you know you’re onto something.
The foundational models like Google Gemini and OpenAI are so powerful, the trick is to build a proprietary application on top of them, one that you can use to make your business better. And that’s what we’re doing. I think that we can see enough about how the world works to know that [AI] is going to make our people much more productive.
How do you demonstrate the value of creativity in the age of AI?
Creativity will be important, if not more important, in the future. The ability to produce stuff is obviously going to increase, but the ability to cut through is going to be harder. And we see that in every medium. AI will augment human creativity. The machine will bring us inside. It will help us come up with ideas. It is not going to replace human beings as the ultimate judge for those ideas. If you think about what a brand is, it’s a series of rules, a color, a tone of voice, a name, a design system, [and AI] is very good at understanding that. So I think it’s going to be very good at producing work. Is it going to produce ideas? I don’t think so.
How can European leaders address the productivity gap with the U.S.?
AI is part of it. Europe’s productivity challenge is obviously deeper, although we’re not one market like America.
The U.K. is in a more challenging position, because we’re not located in the U.S. or in continental Europe. There’s large parts of the economy where I think more deregulation and more cross-border cooperation could create bigger, stronger global businesses. You go to America, and you see a lot of people working hard because the safety net is not there. You go to a restaurant, there are seniors working in America. Europe is a great continent in which to be a student, to retire, be treated in a hospital, to go to university. There’s many aspects of European life that are, say, better than American life, but I think that there’s a different motivation to succeed in America.
Being productive
What time do you get up in the morning, and what sets you up for the day?
My alarm goes off at 6:45 a.m. I have a lot of coffee—I’m a great believer in Nespresso—followed by breakfast with my kids. Each morning, I drive myself to the office, chat to people in the car. Sometimes I might listen to a client earnings call or a podcast. I find my time in the car a very productive time to talk to people.
The foundational models like Google Gemini and OpenAI are so powerful, the trick is to build a proprietary application on top of them, one that you can use to make your business better.
Mark Read, CEO, WPP
What time do you usually clock off work? Do you check email afterward or prefer to fully switch off in the evenings?
I can’t disconnect in the evenings. I usually end up multitasking, juggling emails while watching TV. I tend to leave the office at 7 p.m. and finish off emails in the evening. If I’m traveling, I’ll have dinner with clients or colleagues.
I try not to do too much on the weekend but often have calls on Sunday afternoon and tend to catch up with work. I came across a Harvard statistic saying the average CEO works at least seven hours over the weekend. I don’t do that many in a typical weekend.
Do you have a sports ritual that’s built into your week?
I’ve got a running machine and a Peloton bike. If I’m going to exercise, I try to get it done in the morning. I have more of a cardio approach than a weights approach.
What apps or methods do you use to be more productive?
I mostly use email and WhatsApp. I use email as my primary to-do list, and WhatsApp is more about keeping in contact with people. We have a company WhatsApp group in which we share ideas, insights, and articles. I spend a lot of time on my phone.
Getting personal
Who is on your “personal board”?
I learn the most from my clients. They talk about what’s on their mind, how we’re doing, and what they need to see.
What is your favorite company and why?
The brand I probably engage with most is Apple. Apple has a simplicity and an unrivaled sense of interoperability.
What’s your favorite cuisine to cook or eat?
Definitely Chinese food. I just spent two weeks in China with my family. My kids have become addicted to Szechuan food. Sometimes we cook it at home; my daughter loves it and has a Chinese hot pot.
CEO Agenda provides unique insights into how leaders think and lead, and what keeps them busy in a world of constant change. We look into the lives, minds and agendas of CEOs at the world’s most iconic companies. Dive into our other CEO Agenda profiles.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
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