OMD stays on growth track, despite leadership juggle

Following a turbulent 2020 that saw it downgraded in its Agency Report Card, OMD’s 2021 was bookended by the upheaval of key personnel departures.

Regional COO Rochelle Chhaya moved up to an Omnicom Media Group (OMG) role as Thailand CEO in January, and APAC CEO Stephen Li resigned to pursue “other opportunities” in November. In between, the parent company also snapped up APAC strategy chief Gavin Gibson for an Australia role. 

Meanwhile, OMD and its OMG stablemate PHD, a comparative upstart, are now viewed by many as equals in APAC, even though OMD is significantly larger in headcount. OMG APAC CEO Tony Harradine is ably holding the fort at OMD as he looks for replacements for Li, Chayya and Gibson. The agency also remodeled local leadership in a handful of markets through the year. 

How did we grade OMD? Our full report with the overall grade—plus scores and a detailed analysis of the network's business performance; innovation; DEI and sustainability efforts; creativity and effectiveness; and management—is available only to Campaign members.

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