Cindy Rose, chief executive of WPP, has brought in psychologist Dr Michael Gervais in a bid to improve the network’s culture and morale.
It follows the appointment of a new chief people officer, Mark Taylor, former chief people advisor at Lego Brand Group.
Initially reported by The Times, Gervais made his first appearance during a two-day gathering of 175 executives last week.
Speaking to the paper, one attendee of his session said he had talked about working “together to identify blockers, embrace ‘the edges’, and own their inner voice while learning to shut out outer voices."
Gervais’ consultancy, Finding Mastery, helps leaders, teams and organisations “unlock their potential at the intersection of high performance and wellbeing”, according to the company’s website.
He has previously partnered with Microsoft, Rose’s former company; his other clients have included Nike, LinkedIn and SalesForce.
Campaign understands that Gervais' role is part of WPP’s Elevate28 strategy, which includes creating a high-performance culture and attracting and retaining top talent.
The strategy has split the company into four key divisions: WPP Media, WPP Creative, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions.
It also focuses on four key areas: delivering superior growth for clients; simplifying the operating model; unlocking the advantage of WPP’s AI platform WPP Open; and creating firm financial foundations.
The strategy was unveiled in February 2026 after WPP’s annual results showed revenue less pass-through costs declined 5.4% to US$13.8 billion (£10.2 billion) in 2025, with Q4 down 6.9%.
Still, the network has shown signs of a turnaround recently, with wins such as The Estée Lauder Companies and the government’s media account.
WPP declined to comment.
Source: Campaign UK
