Sorrell insists WPP is 'open for business' following attack

WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has written to the advertising giant's more than 200,000 employees to assure them the situation is under control, following yesterday's malware attack.

 

Sorrell said there was "no indication that either employee or client data has been compromised" in yesterday’s events, which affected a number of large global companies. He also asserted that the group remains "open for business".

 

However, the employees of at least some WPP agencies in Asia were released around lunchtime yesterday because they couldn't do any work.

 

Sorrell's memo:

 

Cyber attack – update As you will know, organisations around the world have been hit by a cyber attack. A number of WPP companies – though not all – have been affected.

 

We are working with our IT partners and law enforcement agencies to assess the situation, take all precautionary steps and return to normal operations as soon as we can. At this time, we have no indication that either employee or client data has been compromised. As you would expect, our companies and teams are in contact with clients on an ongoing basis.

 

Many of you will have experienced significant disruption to your work. However, contrary to some press reports, WPP and its companies are still very much open for business.

 

We are a group packed full of highly creative, ingenious and dedicated people. I urge you all to put those qualities to use in making sure that what our clients experience in the hours and days ahead is as close to business as usual as we can possibly manage. The IT teams in all our companies affected, coordinated by the Group IT function, are working hard to balance the need to protect our systems and the need to bring them back online in a timely fashion. The approach and solution will vary from company to company. It is crucial that you give them your full cooperation and support, and follow their instructions.

 

Thank you. Sir Martin Sorrell

 

(This article first appeared on CampaignAsia.com)