Following the completion of its acquisition of Interpublic, on Monday 1 December, Omnicom has revealed its global strategy, redundancies and leadership changes.
Omnicom's global restructure and new leadership (Image source: © Creative Salon
Creative SalonJob losses
Total headcount of the enlarged group will be about 105,000, a major reduction of about 18% as the restructure includes more than 4,000 job losses globally.
After the job cuts, roughly 85% of the roles will be client-focused, while 15% will be administrative, the company said.Some of these started after 1 October, but most will fall during December when the layoffs will be completed.
In addition, a further 10,000 people will be shed from Omnicom’s payroll due to its as it is withdrawal from many smaller agencies through sales and disposals, although in some cases it will keep a minority stake.
Interpublic Group laid off about 3,200 employees in the first nine months of 2025, according to a regulatory filing.
Last year Omnicom reduced its staff by 3,000 to about 75,000.
Omnicom adds that the cuts should be seen against the backdrop of similar restructuring at rivals such as WPP, which is also expected to axe jobs under new boss Cindy Rose.
The financial benefits of the job cuts would surpass $750m in annual cost savings, initially projected to investors.
Advertising agencies
DDB, FCB - one of the largest global ad agency networks owned by IPG - and MullenLowe will be “retired” in the first half of 2026.
The agencies’ people and clients will be split in different ways in local markets across the three surviving global creative networks, BBDO, TBWA and McCann, each led by a global CEO.
Tyler Turnbull is moving from FCB to be CEO of McCann, Chaka Sobhani is moving from DDB to head creative for TBWA\Worldwide and Javier Campopiano, formerly of McCann, is taking a global client and creative role for OA.
In the UK, Adam & Eve/DDB London will combine with TBWA\London to form Adam & Eve\TBWA with a single management team, while some smaller creative shops in the UK, Germany and the US will continue to operate as boutique-type agencies.
The leaders of Omnicom Advertising’s networks are:
- Nancy Reyes, global CEO, BBDO, and Chris Beresford-Hill, global chief creative officer, BBDO
- Erin Riley, global CEO, TBWA, and Chaka Sobhani, global CCO, TBWA
- Tyler Turnbull, global CEO, McCann, and Andres Ordines, global CCO, McCann
- Javier Campopiano, formerly of McCann, becomes global chief client officer and chief creative officer of Omnicom Advertising
Media agencies
Omnicom Media will operate six global media agency networks - OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science, Initiative, UM, and Mediahub. These will be led by global brand presidents, not global agency CEOs.
There will still be agency CEOs in local markets, under the umbrella of OM.
The global brand presidents heading the six media agency networks are:
- George Manas, OMD
- Stacy DeRiso, Initiative
- Susan Kingston, Brown UM
- Christian Flouch, PHD
- Leaders for Hearts & Science and Mediahub to be confirmed
Global Leadership
There will be nine “Connected Capabilities” across the holding company, with executives from Omnicom, rather than IPG, holding the top position at most of the units, including Omnicom Advertising and Omnicom Media.
This is to remove silos and encourage collaboration.
The leadership of the new nine “Connected Capabilities”:
- Florian Adamski, CEO, Omnicom Media, including Hearts & Science, Initiative, Mediahub, OMD, PHD and UM as well as Acxiom.
- Chris Foster, CEO, Omnicom Public Relations, including FleishmanHillard, Golin, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and Weber Shandwick .
- Sergio Lopez, CEO, Omnicom Production, including Content Solutions, Production Management, and Studios.
- Duncan Painter, CEO, Omni and Flywheel Commerce Network, featuring Omni, the advanced intelligence platform that will power all capabilities, and Flywheel, the market-leading commerce group.
- Troy Ruhanen, CEO, Omnicom Advertising, including BBDO, McCann, TBWA, and the US Advertising Collective.
- Michael Larson, CEO, Diversified Agency Services, with reports including Dana Maiman, CEO, Omnicom Health, including Healthcare Professional & Consumer, Medical Communications, Patient Engagement, and Managed Markets.
- Mark O’Brien, CEO, Omnicom Branding, including Interbrand, Siegel & Gale, Sterling Brands, and Wolff Olins.
- Luke Taylor, CEO, Omnicom Precision Marketing, including Credera, Critical Mass and Rapp
Of those nine leaders, eight are from Omnicom; Maiman alone is an IPG executive.
In addition, Omnicom is appointing two “Omnicom-level teams” to “accelerate the effectiveness of its Connected Capabilities” for clients.
Formerly at IPG, Jacki Kelley, the chief client and business officer, and Andrea Lennon, client experience officer, will lead the Client Success Leaders (CSLs).
George Manas, chief growth and solutions officer, who is currently CEO of OMD, will lead an Omnicom Global Growth team.
Other key executives who have already been announced are Phil Angelastro, who is chief financial officer, Philippe Krakowsky, formerly the CEO of IPG, and Daryl Simm , who are co-president and chief operating officer.
Catalyst for change
A statement by Omnicom says, "We still believe in agency brands”, and that it was “de-siloing” to break down internal barriers.
“The new Omnicom unites the industry’s most comprehensive and connected portfolio of capabilities, all powered by Omni, its advanced intelligence platform.
“These capabilities, combined with exceptional talent, address clients’ critical growth priorities and offer five strategic advantages that provide a competitive edge across every dimension of modern marketing and sales.”
Omnicom CEO John Wren has stated that at the global level, the sweeping changes are a “catalyst” for change, growth and greater collaboration internally.
“The expertise and dedication of our leadership team and the promise of our Connected Capabilities make us uniquely positioned to turn this moment into a catalyst for intelligent growth - for our people, our clients and our shareholders.
“I am proud to welcome the people, agencies and clients of Interpublic to Omnicom and create a global community of the best and brightest professionals in the industry, all of whom will have access to the most advanced AI tools and Omni, our advanced intelligence platform. Together, we will be the go-to company that shapes how brands grow, people connect and culture evolves.”
