WPP’s business in India grew by 10% in 2019, the country is now its fifth largest market

• WPP's business grew in India by 10% in India, Mark Read, CEO, WPP called it a standout market for the organization.
• Read said that keeping creativity at the heart of its business has helped it differentiate itself.
• WPP will continue to focus on building a culture of collaboration within the organization to be future-ready.

WPP’s India business saw a growth of 10% in 2019, and according to Mark Read, CEO, WPP, the country has been one of the standout markets for the organization. Currently, India is the fifth largest market in terms of revenue for WPP and Read is hopeful that the organization’s growth story in India will continue in 2020 too.

About 15 months ago, WPP set out a new strategy for growth, calling it ‘radical evolution’. As a part of this vision, WPP would keep creativity at the heart of its business, shared Read. “We obviously needed to embrace data and new technologies. We had to simplify WPP and build a culture that was compelling and attracted the best people to us. I’d say we are beginning to see results. 2019 was a standout year for India in terms of performance and I hope and expect to see the same from this market in 2020,” added Read.

Speaking about what he believes will help businesses win in the future, Read said, “It's a question that our clients ask us and a question that we ask ourselves on behalf of our clients. And our view is that it is creativity powered by technology that will help us achieve this. Creativity is what makes WPP special, it's our secret sauce and what what differentiates us from other professional services firms. WPP is as much a technology company as it is a creative company and that’s really critical to our growth in the future.”

On being asked about whether the spread of Corona Virus will have any impact on its business, Read said that it is too early to know the extent of its impact. However, he added that they will manage the possible impact on their business in the best possible way.

Speaking about some of the work that has been done in India, CVL Srinivas, WPP’s Country Manager for India said that a new WPP campus will be up and running in Gurugram by November this year. Moreover, Srinivas also shared that similar to their innovation hub, WPP is extending the model to start-ups too. “While we are still working on the model, we should have a plan in place by the next quarter,” shared Srinivas.

Both Read and Srinivas stressed on the need for giving a push to a culture of collaboration within the organization, which both believe is what differentiates them from other organizations.