WPP Scangroup shed nearly a quarter of its workforce in 2025. The integrated marketing and communications group restructured its operations during the year, reducing its total headcount from 434 employees to 333, a net reduction of 101 people, or 23 percent of its entire staff base.
Permanent employees bore the heaviest impact. The group’s permanent headcount fell from 266 to 170, a drop of 96 positions, while contracted staff declined more modestly from 168 to 163. The restructuring programme cost the business a one-off severance payment of Sh176 million.
In its 2025 annual report, the group described the exercise as a deliberate move to right-size its cost base and better align its staffing structure with current and future client requirements.
“The Group incurred a one-off severance cost of Sh176 million in 2025.”
Gender data published alongside the employee statistics shows that the composition of heads of departments shifted sharply, with the male share rising from 82 percent in 2024 to 48 percent in 2025 as the female share climbed from 18 percent to 52 percent, a swing that points to significant turnover at that level rather than a deliberate diversity drive alone.
The restructuring forms part of a broader response to a difficult trading year. Gross profit declined 27 percent to Sh1.47 billion, driven by client losses and reduced marketing spend from several accounts. The group recorded a loss before tax of Sh639 million, up from Sh427 million the previous year.
WPP Scangroup Employee Statistics — Year Ended 31 December 2025
| Category | 31 Dec 2025 | 31 Dec 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent staff | 170 | 266 | -96 |
| Contracted staff | 163 | 168 | -5 |
| Total employees | 333 | 434 | -101 |
| Reduction (%) | — | — | 23% |
| One-off severance cost | Sh176 million | — | — |
Gender breakdown by category (2025 vs 2024)
| Level | Male 2025 | Female 2025 | Male 2024 | Female 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior leadership | 50% | 50% | 45% | 55% |
| Heads of departments | 48% | 52% | 82% | 18% |
| Senior managers | 59% | 41% | 54% | 46% |
| Overall | 51% | 49% | 51% | 49% |
Source: WPP Scangroup Plc Annual Report & Consolidated Financial Statements, year ended 31 December 2025
Management framed the restructuring as positioning the business for recovery. The group secured new accounts during the year, expanded its SME portfolio, and retained a significant share of existing clients.
Looking ahead to 2026, Scangroup said it would prioritise stabilisation, simplify its client proposition, and focus on restoring long-term growth, goals that now rest on a considerably leaner organisation than the one it ran into 2025 with.
