Creating value through our business

How we generate value for our business and stakeholders

Gender 2013-2017
We draw on our resources and relationships
  • 203,000 people, including associates
  • 369 of the Fortune 500 companies are clients of WPP companies
  • Thousands of supplier partners
  • Share owner equity £9,493 million
  • 13,162 share owners
  • Natural resources – 329,878 MWh of energy use
To provide services
across all marketing
and communications disciplines
  • Advertising
  • Media Investment Management
  • Data Investment Management
  • Public Relations & Public Affairs
  • Brand Consulting
  • Health & Wellness
  • Digital, eCommerce & Shopper Marketing
  • Specialist Communications
  • Sustainability Services
Developing our business to help clients meet their goals
  • Global presence, local insight – 3,000 offices in 112 countries
  • Global Client Teams serve our 51 largest clients
  • Horizontality – 53% of revenues from clients served in four or moredisciplines
  • Shared values – sustainable business practices integrated into our services, operations and procurement. Clients that engaged with us on sustainability worth £2.11 billion in revenues
  • Creativity and effectiveness – for seven consecutive years, WPP has been ranked Creative Holding Company of the Year at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity and ranked Most Effective Holding Company in the Effie Global Effectiveness Index for six consecutive years and for the third consecutive year, WPP has been named the World’s Top Holding Company by Warc.
Generating value for our investors, people, suppliers and society
  • Over £1.2 billion returned to share owners
  • through dividends and share by-backs
  • Total tax contribution £1.6 billion
  • £7.6 billion in salaries and employee benefits
  • Supplier spend £5.6 billion
  • Training spend £44.9 million
  • Social investment £20.4 million, creating a benefit to society worth £165 million

The UN Global Goals

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for government agencies, civil society and the private sector to work together to end extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030. Communications, with its power to change attitudes and influence behaviour, has a key role to play in helping shift society towards more sustainable development.

We support the Goals and can contribute towards progress through: our work with clients on sustainability; the actions we’re taking within our business in areas such as the environment and education; and through our pro bono work including the Common Ground partnership.