WPP plc 6-K, filed Oct 29, 2026
WPP plc (WPP)
6-K
2026-10-29
For: 2026-10-29
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Added on
October 29, 2026
About this 6-K
WPP plc filed this 6-K on October 29, 2026.
WPP plc reported Q3 revenue of £3,274m, up 0.5%, while revenue less pass-through costs of £2,411m fell 2.1% LFL. It reiterated 2026 guidance for 12% to 13% operating margin and £800m to £900m adjusted operating cash flow before working capital. AI summary
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
_____________________
FORM 6-K
____________________
Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the Month of October 2026
Commission File Number: 001-38303
______________________
WPP plc
(Translation of registrant's name into English)
________________________
Sea Containers, 18 Upper Ground
London, United Kingdom SE1 9GL
(Address of principal executive offices)
_________________________
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F:
Form
20-F X Form 40-F
___
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper
as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ___
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the
submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an
attached annual report to security holders.
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper
as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ___
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the
submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report
or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must
furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which
the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the
registrant’s “home country”), or under the rules
of the home country exchange on which the registrant’s
securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is
not a press release, is not required to be and has not been
distributed to the registrant’s security holders, and, if
discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form
6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.
Forward-Looking Statements
The
Company may include forward-looking statements (including as
defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995) in oral or written public statements issued by or on behalf
of the Company. These forward-looking statements may include, among
other things, plans, objectives, beliefs, intentions, strategies,
projections and anticipated future economic performance based on
assumptions and the like that are subject to risks and
uncertainties. These statements can be identified by the fact that
they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They
use words such as ‘aim’, ‘anticipate’,
‘believe’, ‘estimate’,
‘expect’, ‘forecast’,
‘guidance’, ‘intend’, ‘may’,
‘will’, ‘should’, ‘potential’,
‘possible’, ‘predict’,
‘project’, ‘plan’, ‘target’,
and other words and similar references to future periods but are
not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. As such,
all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because
they relate to future events and circumstances that are beyond the
control of the Company. Actual results or outcomes may differ
materially from those discussed or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Therefore, you should not rely on such forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, as a
prediction of actual results or otherwise. Important factors which
may cause actual results to differ include but are not limited to:
the unanticipated loss of a material client or key personnel;
delays, suspensions or reductions in client advertising budgets;
shifts in industry rates of compensation; regulatory compliance
costs or litigation; changes in competitive factors in the
industries in which we operate and demand for our products and
services; changes in client advertising, marketing and corporate
communications requirements; our inability to realise the future
anticipated benefits of acquisitions; failure to realise our
assumptions regarding goodwill and indefinite lived intangible
assets; natural disasters or acts of terrorism; the Company’s
ability to attract new clients; the economic and geopolitical
impact of the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East; the risk of
global economic downturn; slower growth, increasing interest rates
and high and sustained inflation; tariffs and other trade barriers;
supply chain issues affecting the distribution of our
clients’ products; technological changes and risks to the
security of IT and operational infrastructure, systems, data and
information resulting from increased threat of cyber and other
attacks; effectively managing the risks, challenges and
efficiencies presented by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
Generative AI technologies and partnerships in our business; risks
related to our environmental, social and governance goals and
initiatives, including impacts from regulators and other
stakeholders, and the impact of factors outside of our control on
such goals and initiatives; the Company’s exposure to changes
in the values of other major currencies (because a substantial
portion of its revenues are derived and costs incurred outside of
the UK); and the overall level of economic activity in the
Company’s major markets (which varies depending on, among
other things, regional, national and international political and
economic conditions and government regulations in the world’s
advertising markets). In addition, you should consider the risks
described in Item 3D, captioned “Risk Factors” in the
Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, which could
also cause actual results to differ from forward-looking
information. In light of these and other uncertainties, the
forward-looking statements included in this document should not be
regarded as a representation by the Company that the
Company’s plans and objectives will be achieved. Neither the
Company, nor any of its directors, officers or employees, provides
any representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of
any events anticipated, expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements will actually occur. Other than in accordance with its
legal or regulatory obligations (including under the Market Abuse
Regulation, the UK Listing Rules and the Disclosure and
Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority), the Company
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
EXHIBIT INDEX
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Exhibit No.
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Description
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1
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Third Quarter 2026 Trading Update dated 29 October 2026, prepared by WPP
plc.
|
29 October 2026
Disciplined execution of the Elevate28 plan delivers continued
progress
and momentum in Q3; FY guidance reiterated
|
Third Quarter
|
£ million
|
+/(-) %
reported1
|
+/(-) % LFL2
|
|
Revenue
|
3,274
|
0.5
|
0.5
|
|
Revenue less pass-through costs
|
2,411
|
(2.0)
|
(2.1)
|
|
Year to date
|
£ million
|
+/(-) %
reported1
|
+/(-) % LFL2
|
|
Revenue
|
9,647
|
(2.8)
|
(1.9)
|
|
Revenue less pass-through costs
|
7,156
|
(4.4)
|
(3.9)
|
Q3 revenue of £3,274m was up 0.5% YoY on both a reported basis
and like-for-like (LFL), while revenue less pass-through costs of
£2,411m was down 2.1% LFL. YTD reported revenue was down 2.8%
YoY and 1.9% LFL. YTD revenue less pass-through costs was down 4.4%
YoY and 3.9% LFL. Performance in the quarter is in line with our
expectations. We continue to expect LFL revenue less pass-through
costs down low to mid-single digits in H2, with Q4 towards the
better end of this range, and expect FY headline operating margin
to be in the range of 12% to 13%.
Cindy Rose OBE, Chief Executive Officer of WPP, said:
“We are on track to deliver phase one of Elevate28:
stabilising our business performance and laying the foundations for
a simpler, more unified WPP. Our integrated client proposition and
modern data solutions are gaining traction with both new and
existing clients.
“Client demand remains healthy for our AI-enabled media,
creative, production and enterprise solutions, powered by our
agentic marketing platform WPP Open. Winning competitive pitches to
renew long-standing partnerships with clients like The Coca-Cola
Company and DoorDash provides further evidence of commercial
momentum and client confidence in WPP’s ability to drive
brand differentiation and business growth at a global
scale.
“Our third quarter results show further sequential
improvement in LFL growth, in line with our expectations. This
reinforces my confidence in our strategy and our ability to deliver
our plan. We remain focused on disciplined execution as we prepare
for the ‘Build’ phase of Elevate28 and position WPP for
a return to growth during 2027.
“Once again, I would like to thank our clients and partners
for their continued trust, our shareholders for their support and
our people for their commitment and hard work as we deliver the
next phase of our plan.”
Conference call at 9.00am GMT/5.00am EDT: For teleconference please
pre-register at this
link;
live webcast
available here.
1. Percentage change in
reported sterling.
2. Like-for-like. LFL
comparisons are calculated as follows: current year, constant
currency actual results (which include acquisitions from the
relevant date of completion) are compared with prior year, constant
currency actual results, adjusted to include the results of
acquisitions and disposals for the commensurate period in the prior
year.
Q3 2026 performance
● Q3
revenue – Q3 2026 revenue
of £3,274m was up 0.5% reported and LFL. Revenue less
pass-through costs of £2,411m was down 2.0% reported and 2.1%
LFL. YTD revenue of £9,647m was down 2.8%, a LFL decline of
1.9%. YTD revenue less pass-through costs of £7,156m was down
4.4% reported and down 3.9% LFL.
● Business
segment and regions – Global Integrated Agencies Q3 LFL
revenue less pass-through costs fell 2.1%, with WPP Media returning
to growth of 0.3% and WPP Production growing 2.5%,
offset by WPP Creative declining 5.1%. All regions declined, with
North America down by 1.8%, EMEA by 1.7%, APAC by 4.3% and LATAM by
1.2%.
● Clients
– WPP’s top 25
clients LFL revenue less pass-through costs was down 2.7% in the
quarter, with an improving trajectory compared to Q2 (-3.2%). The
Q3 performance reflects client assignment losses from the prior
year. By client sector, CPG, Tech & Digital Services and Retail
continued to see LFL declines in the third quarter, however
Automotive and Healthcare continued to grow.
● Elevate28
progress – During
the third quarter, WPP secured a number of new client assignments
and significant retentions, including The Coca-Cola Company –
as its global media partner (excluding North America, Japan and
South Korea which were not part of the review) – DoorDash,
Nestlé, Uber and Waymo. We continued to invest in future
growth, including the opening of a new state-of-the-art production
facility in East London, the addition of 48 new data partners to
Open Intelligence, the announcement of an expanded strategic
technology partnership with Kyndryl and the appointment of key
talent including Tyler Turnbull as CEO of WPP Creative and Adam
Gerhart as WPP’s Global Chief Client Officer. We maintained
progress on delivering our targeted cost savings, as well as
potential asset disposals and will provide updates in due course,
as appropriate. Please see the full Q3 2026 highlights
below.
Financial outlook for 2026
● Reiterating
2026 guidance – We
continue to expect LFL revenue less pass-through costs to decline
low to mid-single digits in the second half of 2026, with Q4
towards the better end of this range. We maintain our full year
margin expectation of 12% to 13%. This is consistent with second
half margins decreasing by up to c.200 bps year-on-year, reflecting
the phasing of our investment plans, including investment in growth
initiatives, the ramp up of new business wins and the rebuilding of
our incentives.
● Adjusted
operating cash flow before working capital
– We
continue to anticipate adjusted operating cash flow before working
capital of £800m to £900m. Excluding anticipated
restructuring costs associated with historical plans and the
Elevate28 strategy, we would anticipate adjusted operating cash
flow before working capital of £1.0bn to
£1.1bn.
|
For further information:
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Investors and analysts
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Media
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Thomas Singlehurst, CFA
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+44 7876 431922
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Niken Wresniwiro
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+44 20 7282 4600
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Anthony Hamilton
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+44 7464 532903
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Louise Lacourarie
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+44 20 7282 4600
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Melissa Fung
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+44 7353 107064
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irteam@wpp.com
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wpp.com/investors
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press@wpp.com
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Third quarter 2026 overview
Revenue in the third quarter was £3,274m, up 0.5% from
£3,259m in Q3 2025, and also up 0.5% LFL. Revenue less
pass-through costs was £2,411m, down 2.0% from £2,459m in
Q3 2025, and down 2.1% LFL.
|
£ million
|
Q3 2026
|
%
reported
|
%
M&A
|
%
FX
|
+/(-) %
LFL
|
|
Revenue
|
3,274
|
0.5
|
0.0
|
0.0
|
0.5
|
|
Revenue less pass-through costs
|
2,411
|
(2.0)
|
(0.1)
|
0.2
|
(2.1)
|
|
£ million
|
YTD 2026
|
%
reported
|
%
M&A
|
%
FX
|
+/(-) %
LFL
|
|
Revenue
|
9,647
|
(2.8)
|
(0.1)
|
(0.8)
|
(1.9)
|
|
Revenue less pass-through costs
|
7,156
|
(4.4)
|
0.0
|
(0.5)
|
(3.9)
|
Segmental review
Business segments – revenue less pass-through
costs
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
Global Integrated Agencies
|
|
Q3 2026
|
(2.1)
|
|
YTD 2026
|
(3.9)
|
Additional Global Integrated Agencies
business analysis1
|
|
Q3 2026
|
YTD 2026
|
||
|
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
% share, revenue less pass-through costs
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
% share, revenue less pass-through costs
|
|
WPP Media2
|
0.3
|
45
|
(3.6)
|
45
|
|
WPP Creative
|
(5.1)
|
48
|
(5.0)
|
49
|
|
WPP Production
|
2.5
|
7
|
1.9
|
6
|
1. Global Integrated Agencies
is the Group’s single reporting segment, which aligns with
WPP as a single, unified operating company. This represents the
aggregation of the Group’s Media, Creative (including
Enterprise Solutions) and Production businesses. Additional
analysis as above is provided for WPP Media, WPP Creative
(including Enterprise Solutions) and WPP Production. Additional
analysis related to % LFL revenue less pass-through costs growth
and % share for Enterprise Solutions will be provided from 1
January 2027.
2. WPP Media includes certain
businesses previously within the Specialist Agencies reporting
segment.
In total, Global Integrated Agencies declined 2.1% in Q3 (Q3 2025:
-5.9%), a sequential improvement compared to Q2
(-2.8%).
WPP Media saw a return to
growth with LFL revenue less pass-through costs growth of 0.3% in
Q3 (Q2: -2.8%). WPP Media continues to be impacted by prior year
client losses, but benefited from an improving quarterly trend in
spend from existing customers and a growing contribution from new
account wins, along with an easing comparison (Q3 2025: -5.6%) and
some timing benefits.
WPP Creative, including
WPP Enterprise
Solutions, declined 5.1% in Q3
(Q3 2025: -6.7%), a deteriorating sequential trend (Q2: -3.5%),
with lower client spending partially offset by the continued ramp
up of new business wins. Declines are centred on our integrated
creative agencies, with PR back to growth and our brand and design
agencies growing mid-single digits in the
quarter.
WPP Production grew 2.5% in Q3
(Q3 2025: +0.6%) reflecting an improving growth trajectory (Q2:
+1.3%), supported by new business wins and strong performance
across APAC and LATAM.
Regional segments – revenue less pass-through
costs
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
North America
|
EMEA
|
APAC
|
LATAM
|
|
Q3 2026
|
(1.8)
|
(1.7)
|
(4.3)
|
(1.2)
|
|
YTD 2026
|
(4.6)
|
(3.5)
|
(4.0)
|
(1.2)
|
North America declined 1.8% LFL (Q3 2025: -6.0%), reflecting a
sequential improvement (Q2: -4.3%) with some benefit from easier
comparables, but also encouraging trends at WPP Media partially
offset by LFL performance in WPP Creative.
EMEA declined
1.7% LFL (Q3 2025: -5.5%), a continuation of the sequential
improvement from the second quarter (Q2: -3.0%). The United Kingdom
declined by 1.2% in Q3 but also saw a sequential improvement (Q2:
-5.5%) while Germany saw a return to growth (Q3: +2.4%).
Middle East & Africa continued to decline in Q3 at
-12.4% in the context of sustained
geopolitical uncertainty with a deteriorating trend (Q2:
-7.2%).
APAC declined 4.3% LFL in Q3 (Q3 2025: -7.4%), a
sequential deterioration from Q2 at +0.3%, driven primarily by a
step down in China which contracted by 8.7% in Q3 (Q2: +15.6%), in
line with expectations and reflecting timing factors (Q3 YTD:
-1.5%). India, meanwhile, returned to growth at +2.9% in Q3 (Q2:
-6.0%) while Australia continued to decline by 4.8% (Q2:
-1.8%).
LATAM declined 1.2% LFL in Q3 (Q3 2025: -3.1%) in line
with the YTD run rate (Q3 YTD: -1.2%) but a sequential slowdown
from Q2 (+0.9%) with declines in Mexico on prior year client
losses.
Client sector – revenue less pass-through costs
|
|
Q3 2026
+/(-) % LFL
|
YTD 2026
+/(-) % LFL
|
% share, revenue less pass-through
costs1
|
|
CPG
|
(6.4)
|
(8.2)
|
27
|
|
Tech & Digital Services
|
(3.9)
|
(7.4)
|
17
|
|
Healthcare & Pharma
|
4.3
|
3.4
|
13
|
|
Automotive
|
6.7
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1.3
|
11
|
|
Retail
|
(6.0)
|
(3.8)
|
9
|
|
Telecom, Media & Entertainment
|
(15.7)
|
(15.1)
|
6
|
|
Financial Services
|
(8.9)
|
(11.9)
|
6
|
|
Other
|
(3.7)
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2.8
|
4
|
|
Travel & Leisure
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(2.7)
|
(2.7)
|
4
|
|
Government, Public Sector & Non-profit
|
(11.7)
|
(6.6)
|
3
|
1. Proportion of WPP revenue
less pass-through costs Q3 YTD 2026; table made up of clients
representing 81% of WPP total revenue less pass-through
costs.
Balance sheet highlights
Average adjusted net debt1
(for the last 12-month rolling period)
at 30 September 2026 was £3.2bn2,
compared to £3.4bn at 30 September 2025, and £3.4bn
at 31 December 2025.
Adjusted net debt at 30 September 2026 was
£3.0bn2,
against £3.6bn as at 30 September
2025.
1. Average adjusted net debt
excludes lease liabilities and is the average of adjusted net debt
for each of the last 12-month period ends.
2. The Group adopted the IFRS 9
amendments effective 1 January 2026. This increased cash and cash
equivalents and reduced adjusted net debt by £180m as at 1
January 2026. As at 30 September 2026, the impact of the amendments
was that cash and cash equivalents were higher and adjusted net
debt was lower by £214m. Furthermore, the 12-month rolling
average adjusted net debt as at 30 September 2026 was £167m
lower, calculated by applying the amendments for the period 1
October 2025 to 30 September 2026.
Financial outlook
Our guidance for 2026 is as follows:
Following
first half down 4.7%, like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs
to decline low to mid-single digits in the second half of
2026
Headline
operating profit margin expected to be 12% to 13%
Adjusted operating cash flow before working capital of £800m
to £900m
Other 2026 modelling assumptions, consistent with our 2025
Preliminary Results release:
|
●
|
Mergers and acquisitions will not significantly impact revenue less
pass-through costs
|
|
●
|
FX impact: current rates (at 15 October 2026, with USD/GBP
rate of 1.33) imply a c.0.5% drag on FY 2026 revenue less
pass-through costs
|
|
●
|
Headline earnings from associates of around £30m
|
|
●
|
Non-controlling interests of around £45m
|
|
●
|
Headline net finance costs of around £290m
|
|
●
|
Headline effective tax rate1
between 33% to 34%
|
|
●
|
Capex of around £190m
|
|
●
|
Total cash restructuring costs of around £250m, consisting of
c.£190m from Elevate28 and
c.£60m from historical programmes
|
|
●
|
We continue to expect disposal-related activity to generate cash
proceeds of at least £200m
|
Elevate28 targets2
Phase 1: Stabilise (2026) The
immediate priority is to stabilise net new business performance. We
will also execute cost saving initiatives, and take portfolio
actions to improve balance sheet flexibility.
|
●
|
Financial goal: Deliver
positive net new business, achieve gross run-rate savings of
£250m by year-end (equivalent to around £100m in-year
gross savings) and progress portfolio actions.
|
Phase 2: Build (2027) We will
fully implement and start to benefit from our revised go-to-market
strategy and continue to deliver benefits of the new operating
model via improved execution and further reductions in
costs.
|
●
|
Financial goal: Return
to organic growth during 2027, rebuild margins and reduce
leverage.
|
Phase 3: Accelerate (2028 and beyond) WPP will emerge as a simpler, lower-cost,
AI-enabled business. Revenue growth will be driven by the full
integration of media, creative, production and enterprise
solutions, as well as the global scaling of agentic
workflows.
|
●
|
Financial goal: Accelerate
organic growth, expand margins, deliver strong cash
conversion.
|
Across all three phases, a priority will be to maintain an
investment-grade balance sheet.
1. Headline tax as a % of
headline profit before tax.
2. Elevate28
targets as disclosed in the Strategy Update and 2025 Preliminary
Results, 26 February 2026 (see
link).
Q3 2026 highlights
Clients
● WPP
new business and client retention – During the third quarter, we were encouraged by
WPP’s new business performance and client retention wins
across media, creative and integrated services, the most
significant of which was the renewal of our longstanding global
media partnership with The Coca-Cola Company (excluding North
America, Japan and South Korea which were not part of the review).
Other meaningful wins include expanding our global media remit with
DoorDash, being appointed Waymo’s media partner in North
America and EMEA and Nestlé’s integrated partner for its
new end-to-end content operating model in China, including for
creative and production. Further wins included TurboTax appointing
WPP for digital video and social content, winning Godrej Consumer
Products Limited’s media business in a number of
international markets and being named the integrated agency partner
for voter communications for The Electoral Commission in the UK.
Each success reflects the creativity, expertise and determination
of our teams – and the trust and confidence our clients have
in WPP’s ability to drive brand differentiation and business
growth at a global scale.
● WPP
launches flagship production hub in East London –
In
September, WPP officially opened
Devon’s Point (see link),
a new flagship production facility in East London. Spanning 34,000
sq ft across a multi-floor industrial footprint, the studio
represents a major evolution in global content production and is
the first facility of its kind to be launched by a marketing
services company in the UK, bringing together advanced AI-powered
virtual production technology, modular studio environments and
post-production capabilities under one roof. The facility's
AI-enabled production solutions connect directly to WPP's creative,
media and enterprise solutions capabilities, which gives clients
access to more integrated service offerings and a common
intelligence layer across all their marketing activities.
Devon’s Point also gives WPP's clients the infrastructure to
operationalise creator-led marketing at scale, taking advantage of
one of the fastest growing parts of the marketing ecosystem. The
space offers brands and creators purpose-built live streaming
studios, rapid shoot-and-edit facilities and dedicated creator
collaboration spaces.
● Industry
recognition for our work for clients – At the 2026 Global Influencer
Awards (see link),
Ogilvy was recognised as the ‘Most Awarded Agency’ for
the eighth consecutive year. VML was recognised as a Leader in the
Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Global Digital Marketing
Agencies, 2026 (see link)
and WPP Enterprise Solutions was recognised as a Leader in IDC
MarketScape for AI-Enabled Adobe Professional Services (see
link).
Meanwhile at the 2026 M&M Global Awards (see
link), our
clients took home five category wins and 11 Highly Commended prizes
including for our ‘R/eal
Reviews’
work for Dove and for our ‘Oral
Health Movement’ work for
Colgate.
Technology
● WPP
Media and InfoSum continue to add data partners –
In September
(see link),
InfoSum announced a partnership with Eyeota, a Dun & Bradstreet
company and global provider of B2B and B2C audience solutions. Dun
& Bradstreet and Eyeota-owned-and-operated digital audience
taxonomy, along with the D&B ID Graph, combined with InfoSum's
privacy-safe data collaboration technology, enables advertisers to
reach more precise B2B and B2C audiences, build smarter models, and
measure performance without moving or exposing underlying data.
Further to Eyeota, WPP signed an additional 48 data partnership
agreements in Q3, spanning global and regional media owners as well
as retail and commerce data partners at both a global and local
level. This takes the total number of partners to almost
400.
● Kyndryl
and WPP announce expanded partnership – In October, Kyndryl and WPP
announced an expanded strategic partnership to drive enterprise
transformation, marketing growth and joint go-to-market innovation
(see link).
The partnership focuses on three key areas: the transformation of
WPP’s business platforms and support model, an expanded
marketing partnership which names WPP as Kyndryl’s preferred
global marketing partner and joint go-to-market initiatives to
drive customer growth through modernisation and core business
transformation.
● Burson
acquires long-term strategic partner, cognitive AI company Limbik
– In
September, Burson acquired Limbik Inc., the cognitive AI company
behind Decipher, Burson's predictive intelligence platform that
forecasts how communications will resonate with audiences operating
in more than 60 markets globally (see link).
The acquisition brings Limbik's proprietary cognitive AI
capabilities, engineering team and AI research team fully in-house,
allowing Burson to accelerate product integration and development
across its entire innovation suite.
People
● WPP
Chief Financial Officer succession – In September, WPP announced that
Joanne Wilson is stepping down from her role as Chief Financial
Officer and as an Executive Director of WPP (see
link). The
Board has commenced a formal search process to appoint a new Chief
Financial Officer. Joanne will remain in her current role while her
successor is appointed, to ensure an effective transition of her
responsibilities.
● VML
Global and WPP Creative CEO succession – In September, WPP announced that
Jon Cook, Global CEO of VML and CEO of WPP Creative has decided to
leave WPP to pursue the next chapter of his career (see
link).
Jon will remain in his leadership roles through to March 2027 to
ensure a seamless, collaborative transition. Tyler Turnbull will
join WPP as CEO of WPP Creative (see link)
in early 2027. Tyler will join WPP from McCann where he is
currently Global CEO. Meanwhile, Eric Campbell, currently North
America CEO of VML and WPP Creative, will become Global CEO of VML
in March 2027, while continuing as CEO of WPP Creative North
America.
● Global
Chief Client Officer appointment – In October, WPP announced the
appointment of Adam Gerhart as Global Chief Client Officer
(see link),
previously Global Chief Client Officer at WPP Media. In his new
role, Adam will be responsible for leading WPP’s key global
client relationships and overseeing the company’s network of
Global Client Leaders.
Investor materials
● WPP
webinars – WPP hosted a series of webinars
designed to give investors and analysts deeper insight into our
agencies, products, services and market forecasts. These sessions
featured presentations by WPP leadership and agency executives,
covering industry trends, strategic updates and business
performance. During the third quarter, we have published a
recording of our in-person investor event on WPP Production. To
watch this, please see WPP
webinars.
Detailed regional analysis
Regional – revenue analysis
|
£ million
|
Q3 2026
|
Q3 2025 (restated)1
|
+/(-) % reported
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
|
North America
|
1,304
|
1,179
|
10.6
|
10.0
|
|
EMEA
|
1,296
|
1,358
|
(4.6)
|
(3.5)
|
|
APAC
|
520
|
568
|
(8.5)
|
(8.0)
|
|
LATAM
|
154
|
154
|
0.0
|
(5.8)
|
|
Total Group
|
3,274
|
3,259
|
0.5
|
0.5
|
|
£ million
|
YTD 2026
|
YTD 2025 (restated)1
|
+/(-) % reported
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
|
North America
|
3,678
|
3,716
|
(1.0)
|
0.9
|
|
EMEA
|
3,905
|
4,008
|
(2.6)
|
(2.8)
|
|
APAC
|
1,619
|
1,756
|
(7.8)
|
(5.6)
|
|
LATAM
|
445
|
442
|
0.7
|
(3.7)
|
|
Total Group
|
9,647
|
9,922
|
(2.8)
|
(1.9)
|
Regional – revenue less pass-through costs
analysis
|
£ million
|
Q3 2026
|
Q3 2025 (restated)1
|
+/(-) % reported
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
|
North America
|
919
|
930
|
(1.2)
|
(1.8)
|
|
EMEA
|
974
|
1,004
|
(3.0)
|
(1.7)
|
|
APAC
|
365
|
379
|
(3.7)
|
(4.3)
|
|
LATAM
|
153
|
146
|
4.8
|
(1.2)
|
|
Total Group
|
2,411
|
2,459
|
(2.0)
|
(2.1)
|
|
£ million
|
YTD 2026
|
YTD 2025 (restated)1
|
+/(-) % reported
|
+/(-) % LFL
|
|
North America
|
2,711
|
2,896
|
(6.4)
|
(4.6)
|
|
EMEA
|
2,939
|
3,041
|
(3.4)
|
(3.5)
|
|
APAC
|
1,066
|
1,123
|
(5.1)
|
(4.0)
|
|
LATAM
|
440
|
425
|
3.5
|
(1.2)
|
|
Total Group
|
7,156
|
7,485
|
(4.4)
|
(3.9)
|
1. The Group’s
geographical areas have been reorganised. Prior year comparatives
have been restated to reflect these changes.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking
statements
This document contains statements that are, or may be deemed to be,
“forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking
statements give the Company’s current expectations or
forecasts of future events.
These forward-looking statements may include, among other things,
plans, objectives, beliefs, intentions, strategies, projections and
anticipated future economic performance based on assumptions and
the like that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These
statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate
strictly to historical or current facts. They use words such as
‘aim’, ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’,
‘estimate’, ‘expect’,
‘forecast’, ‘guidance’,
‘intend’, ‘may’, ‘will’,
‘should’, ‘potential’,
‘possible’, ‘predict’,
‘project’, ‘plan’, ‘target’,
and other words and similar references to future periods but are
not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. As such,
all forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because
they relate to future events and circumstances that are beyond the
control of the Company. Actual results or outcomes may differ
materially from those discussed or implied in the forward-looking
statements. Therefore, you should not rely on such forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date they are made, as a
prediction of actual results or otherwise. Important factors which
may cause actual results to differ include but are not limited to:
the unanticipated loss of a material client or key personnel;
delays, suspensions or reductions in client advertising budgets;
shifts in industry rates of compensation; regulatory compliance
costs or litigation; changes in competitive factors in the
industries in which we operate and demand for the Group’s
products and services; changes in client advertising, marketing and
corporate communications requirements; the Group’s inability
to realise the future anticipated benefits of acquisitions; failure
to realise the Group’s assumptions regarding goodwill and
indefinite lived intangible assets; natural disasters or acts of
terrorism; the Company’s ability to attract new clients; the
economic and geopolitical impact of conflicts; the risk of global
economic downturn; slower growth, increasing interest rates and
high and sustained inflation; tariffs and other trade barriers;
supply chain issues affecting the distribution of the Group’s
clients’ products; technological changes and risks to the
security of IT and operational infrastructure, systems, data and
information resulting from increased threat of cyber and other
attacks; effectively managing the risks, challenges and
efficiencies presented by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and
Generative AI technologies and partnerships in the Group’s
business; risks related to the Group’s environmental, social
and governance goals and initiatives, including impacts from
regulators and other stakeholders, and the impact of factors
outside of the Group’s control on such goals and initiatives;
the Company’s exposure to changes in the values of other
major currencies (because a substantial portion of its revenues are
derived and costs incurred outside of the UK); and the overall
level of economic activity in the Company’s major markets
(which varies depending on, among other things, regional, national
and international political and economic conditions and government
regulations in the world’s advertising markets). In addition,
you should consider the risks described in Item 3D, captioned
‘Risk Factors’ in the Company’s most recent
Annual Report on Form 20-F, which could also cause actual results
to differ from forward-looking information. Neither the Company,
nor any of its directors, officers or employees, provides any
representation, assurance or guarantee that the occurrence of any
events anticipated, expressed or implied in any forward-looking
statements will actually occur. Accordingly, no assurance can be
given that any particular expectation will be met and investors are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking
statements.
Other than in accordance with its legal or regulatory obligations
(including under the Market Abuse Regulation, the UK Listing Rules
and the Disclosure and Transparency Rules of the Financial Conduct
Authority), the Company undertakes no obligation to update or
revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.
Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Group
speak only as of the date they are made and are based upon the
knowledge and information available to the Directors at the
time.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
|
|
WPP PLC
|
|
|
(Registrant)
|
|
Date:
29 October 2026.
|
By:
______________________
|
|
|
Balbir
Kelly-Bisla
|
|
|
Company
Secretary
|