Creativity is WPP’s secret sauce: Mark Read

Addressing his first press conference in India, Mark Read, CEO, WPP, affirmed that WPP wants to put creativity at the heart of the business. He was present at the inauguration of the BAY99 Campus in Mumbai earlier this week. Highlighting the company’s performance in the country, Read said, “India is the 5th largest market for WPP in terms of revenue. India is very important for WPP, as one of our fastest-growing countries and a top-tier global market.” 

Further talking about India’s positioning in the global market, Read said, “We know India has been a tech leader and has an important role. We have seen strong growth in the world and India has been a standout market.” 

Also read:
WPP India ups the game to provide more agile client offerings & integrated teams

Speaking on the occasion, Read also said, “Creativity powered by technology is critical to meeting client needs and the demands of a dynamic marketplace. Our investment in our campuses supports WPP’s new sense of purpose and enables us to instil a culture of creativity, collaboration and openness, while attracting and retaining the best people.” 

Talking about the future of WPP in the realm of creativity, Read said, “Creativity is our secret sauce. WPP is as much a tech company as it is a creative company. We are focused on making the company more client-centric.” 

Read considers purpose as a critical aspect for WPP, as he said, “WPP culture is open, optimistic and extraordinary in terms of the people we have. WPP has an open and collaborative culture.” 

WPP has a media market share of 50%: CVL Srinivas 

Also addressing the media was CVL Srinivas, India Country Manager, WPP, who spoke about the internal evolution that WPP is going through in India. “There is a real internal evolution that’s ongoing at WPP in India in the way that our teams work. Our teams are now better integrated and working in close alignment to our clients. We are reinventing ourselves to respond to structural changes in our market and to capture the new opportunities for growth. Beyond that, we are also excited about the work that we are doing in sustainability and social purpose.” 

He further claimed that WPP has a media marketing share close to 50 per cent and that the company has grown by 10 per cent. They are looking to have an 8,000-strong employee base by the end of 2020, with the setting up of their Gurugram office. 

Srinivas also spoke about WPP’s focus on mobility, upskilling , hiring and retention, with the need to create more platforms like WPP Stream. He also stressed on creating an optimistic, extraordinary and open place to work for new and existing talent. 

Further talking about WPP’s key focus areas, Srinivas spoke about talent and culture, client centricity, building data and technology, efficient and simpler organisation, and WPP’s impact socially and in terms of sustainability.