As WPP CEO Cindy Rose continues to put her stamp on the organization, company veteran Michael Houston has stepped down from his role as U.S. president -- a role he was the first to hold when he was appointed to it in June of 2022. 

The role is not expected to be filled again.  

Houston, who stepped down last month, has assumed the role of senior advisor to the firm, a post he will hold through the first quarter of 2027.   

On LinkedIn, he wrote that as president his job was to “orchestrate collaboration across a sprawling network, simplify operations, and create the conditions for our best creative and strategic thinking to reach clients such as Procter & Gamble, Google, and L'Oréal.”  

It was, he added, “leadership at a different altitude. Less about building a single team, more about ensuring dozens of teams had what they need to thrive.”  

As advisor, he said he was “now focused on where the business of creativity takes us next.”  

Previously, Houston was a long-time senior executive at WPP’s agency network, Grey Group, including a stint as Global CEO from 2017 to 2022. Grey was folded into WPP’s AKQA Group in late 2020. 

Prior to joining Grey in 2007, Houston was partner-director of corporate development at Kirshenbaum Bond + Partners.