What WPP’s strategic business review could mean for its creative agency structure

New Delhi: WPP has confirmed that it is conducting a “strategic business review”, with details expected early next year. 

The statement has coincided with speculation around VML and Ogilvy, making the review far more loaded than it might otherwise appear.

In response to queries from BestMediaInfo.com, the company declined to comment on speculation and pointed instead to its Q3 investor presentation, where it had already disclosed that a strategic review of the business is in progress, with details to be shared early next year.

That leaves the industry reading between the lines, not to guess outcomes, but to understand what such a review typically signals in the current context of WPP’s business.

Why the VML-Ogilvy chatter won’t go away

The speculation around VML and Ogilvy has not emerged in isolation. Over the past few years, WPP has steadily moved towards simplifying its agency ecosystem, integrating capabilities and reducing duplication across creative, experience and technology services.

A key precedent was WPP’s decision in 2020 to merge Grey into Ogilvy globally, with Grey no longer operating as a standalone network. That move was framed around scale, efficiency and integrated delivery, themes that continue to surface in WPP’s current strategic language.

In 2023, WPP went further by merging VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson to create VML, consolidating brand-building and customer experience under a single global network. That restructuring demonstrated WPP’s willingness to redraw agency lines when it believes clients benefit from fewer, broader platforms.

Against that backdrop, any mention of “simplification”, “integration” or “client-centric models” naturally draws attention to how many large creative brands WPP needs to operate, and in what form.

VML and Ogilvy are two of its biggest global creative networks, often operating in overlapping categories and competing for similar briefs.

What WPP has actually said and why it matters

In its recent trading updates and investor communication, WPP has outlined four core principles guiding the strategic review.

First, simplifying and integrating the client offer while harnessing artificial intelligence to deliver business outcomes. This aligns with WPP Open, the group’s AI-enabled marketing operating platform, which WPP has positioned as central to how its services are delivered.

Second, improving execution and building a high-performance culture. This language suggests less tolerance for complexity that slows decision-making, a theme investors have increasingly pressed on.

Third, expanding WPP’s addressable market through enterprise and technology-led solutions. This signals a continued push beyond traditional advertising into areas such as commerce, data, experience and transformation consulting.

Fourth, strengthening financial performance through operational efficiency and disciplined capital allocation, usually a signal that cost structures, overlaps and margins are under close scrutiny.

None of these explicitly mentions agency mergers. But taken together, they point towards structural reorganisation, not experimentation.

Leadership change adds weight to the review

The timing of the review is also important. During the Q3 investor presentation, it was Cindy Rose, WPP’s incoming Chief Executive Officer, who confirmed that the strategic review is underway.

Leadership transitions often act as a reset moment. New CEOs typically take stock of structure, culture and capital priorities before setting a longer-term course. This does not automatically mean dramatic change, but it does raise expectations of sharper choices.

WPP has already been signalling this shift through sharper financial discipline, tighter performance metrics and a clearer articulation of where it wants to grow, and where it does not.

In India, the leadership transition adds further context. WPP has announced that CVL Srinivas (Srini), Country Manager for India, will retire at the end of March 2026, concluding a 36-year career with the company. His planned exit marks a significant milestone in one of WPP’s most important growth markets.

At Ogilvy India, Hephzibah Pathak serves as Executive Chairperson, with V R Rajesh as Chief Executive Officer. Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar and Sukesh Nayak serve as Chief Creative Officers, and Prem Narayan is Chief Strategy Officer. The leadership team continues to guide operations and creative work in the market.

VML India, meanwhile, is led by Babita Baruah and operates within WPP’s integrated creative and experience framework. GroupM continues to anchor WPP’s media business in India.

BestMediaInfo.com reached out to Hephzibah Pathak, Executive Chairperson, Ogilvy India, and Babita Baruah, who leads VML India, for comment on the ongoing strategic review and related industry speculation, but did not receive a response at the time of publishing.

Competitive pressure sharpens urgency

Globally, the holding company landscape has become more consolidated. Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG has already reshaped the competitive environment, creating a larger rival with significant scale across creative, media and data. Publicis Groupe continues to gain ground with its tightly unified platform-led model.

Against this backdrop, WPP’s strategic review appears less about responding to rumours and more about ensuring the group remains competitive in a market that increasingly rewards clarity, scale and execution.