20,000 to one

WPP deliver global performance insight and reporting in one application, enabling quicker and better decision making that drives business value.
As a large multinational, WPP needed to be able to analyze financial and operational data via various lenses. We developed a tailored performance insight and reporting application to facilitate this.

30

operating companies

20,000

different reports

1

reporting & insight app

The challenge

WPP is a large and complex group, made up of 30 operating companies with over 20,000 individual reporting units, that generates a wide range of complex data from a huge number of sources across the globe.  

Each company must remain competitive whilst achieving revenue growth, margin improvements, and better return on capital employed. In order to react quickly to trends in a fast-moving global business environment, managers at both the group and key operating companies needed to be able to analyze financial and operational trends by geography, sector, and client.

I cannot imagine running this group, with all its complexity, without this solution.
Group Financial Controller, WPP

The solution

We developed a Performance Insight and Reporting application that provides guided analysis to managers across the business. This enables WPP to make better decisions, faster and improves operational performance and strategic planning.  

The application configured in Metapraxis Empower has the following features:

  • A detailed multi-dimensional model of the business that can be interrogated by region, service, customer, and business unit across a full suite of KPIs
  • Hourly automated data integration with the central finance consolidation system
  • Reporting across actual, budget, and forecast performance, on a like-for-like basis at any level of the business, along with flexible comparative analysis
  • Complex variance analysis and performance trending with the inclusion of commentary and context
  • Guided analysis pathways necessary to highlight the actions needed to optimise performance and achieve strategic goals
  • Automated report production for the c. 60 budget, review, and board meetings per year
  • An industry-leading variance commentary module, with an auditable, SOX compliant review and approval process.
"The Empower application provides the guided analysis that the Finance function needs to run the business. PowerBI and Tableau just provide pretty pictures for CEOs who don’t want to look at the numbers!"
Independent FP&A advisor

The impact

Better decisions: the guided analysis allows users to quickly identify the key drivers of business performance, and then focus on these factors in order to improve working capital management, cost efficiency and margin.  

More efficient processes: the automated data integration, commentary, analysis, and report production, allows the finance team to focus on providing insight to decision-makers, as opposed to “turn the handle” finance activities. The Empower solution enables the WPP Group FP&A team to achieve upper quartile finance efficiency.

Improved collaboration: the solution ensures that Group Finance and Operating Company Management have one consistent set of analysis, immediately available, improving cross-company dialogue.

About WPP

WPP plc is a British multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company headquartered in London, England. It has a market cap. of £9bn and 109,000 employees in 110 countries.

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