The softly-spoken Read, who joined WPP in 1989, said on Monday the industry was going through "structural change, not structural decline" and that he planned to rejuvenate WPP by combining the power of its creative agencies with improved technology and analytics. "It is a challenge that we're keen to get on with," he told Reuters. "What makes WPP special apart from its people is the power of creativity, imagination and ideas but we need to combine that with an understanding of how technology is reshaping our industry," he added. PRIME CANDIDATE Read was seen as the leading internal candidate after he spent almost nine years on the board up to 2015. He has worked on strategy, client retention and digital operations since he wrote to Sorrell asking for a job almost three decades ago. In April he became joint chief operating officer with Scott. WPP said on Monday that Scott would continue in that role while Roberto Quarta has resumed his role as non-executive chairman.