WPP is opening its fourth UK campus (three in London, one in Manchester) in the former FT buildiung at One Southwark Bridge. Set to lodge there are WPP Media and what are described as its brands – Choreograph, EssenceMediacom and Wavemaker. No mention of Mindshare, which may be ominous. Choreograph is described as its global data company,
The extensively refurbed building will also house the 200-strong WPP Open AI team and include a multi-faith room, a sensory room designed for neurodivergent inmates, a parents’ room and a wellness studio. What are described as previously inaccessible grounds have also been altered to create outdoor communal areas, reconnecting the building (sited in rather a concrete jungle despite its proximity to the Thames) to the surrounding streets.
This all sounds rather new age but that, presumably, is revealing of new CEO Cindy Rose. She says: “Winning teams need a world-class facility to perform at their best, and this new London campus is exactly that. As a proud British company, this represents a significant and continued investment in our UK talent and infrastructure. It’s an engine for collaboration, bringing our exceptional people together into a creative and innovation hub that delivers for our clients.”
So far Rose has done a pretty good job in terms of marshalling the troops (at least in terms of her public pronouncements) and offices still matter: Omnicom’s flagship creative agency AMV BBDO has never been quite the same since being dragged kicking and screaming from Marylebone Road to Omnicom’s group HQ, just down the road from Southwark Bridge.
