Omnicom has unveiled the most sweeping restructuring of a global advertising group in decades. The creative portfolio stands collapsed into three networks—BBDO, TBWA and McCann—while three storied brands are retired in the process: DDB, FCB and MullenLowe. On the media side of the business, six agency brands remain: OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science from OMG and Mediahub, Initiative and UM from what used to be IPG Mediabrands.
Under the new structure, led globally by John Wren, Omnicom is organised into seven divisions. FCB is absorbed into BBDO, while both DDB and MullenLowe roll into TBWA. All three absorbed legacy brands will cease to exist.
Asia leadership
Two senior Omnicom leaders hold the reins in the region.
Sean Donovan, previously Asia CEO of Omnicom Advertising Group and regional president of TBWA, is now the President of Omnicom Advertising, Asia—the newly defined creative division. All creative networks in the region, BBDO, TBWA and McCann will ladder into Donovan’s remit under the new structure. Donovan reports to former TBWA global chief Troy Ruhanen, who is now the global CEO and president of creative arm Omnicom Advertising.
On the media side, Tony Harradine, CEO of Omnicom Media Group Asia-Pacific, will lead the six-network Omnicom Media vertical across the region. His remit now spans legacy Omnicom agencies OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science, as well as former IPG agencies Mediahub, Initiative and UM. It is now the world’s largest media organisation by billings.
Harradine will report to Omnicom Media global chief executive Florian Adamski.
Key Media leadership roles
Omnicom's Chan Ching Yi and Paul Shepherd are the new CFO and chief commercial trading officers.
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President, OMD – Charlotte Lee (no change)
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President, PHD – Eileen Ooi (no change)
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President, UM – Rochelle Chhaya (ex-Hearts and Science, APAC CEO)
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President, Initiative – to be announced soon
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President, Operations – Sadhan Mishra (ex-OMD chief client officer, APAC)
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EVP, Growth – Garth Farrar (no change)
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Head of Communications – Justin Low (no change)
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Head of Brand Marketing – Naomi Michael (former IPG head of comms)
Media: Market-by-market leadership
Australia
- Kristiaan Kroon is the new chief executive of the newly rebranded Omnicom Media in Australia, an elevation from the chief operating officer role he stepped into in December 2024 when he succeeded former OMG CEO Peter Horgan. Kroon has effectively been leading the business since then.
- Donna Bartlett, a nearly 20-year veteran of OMG’s finance team, steps into the role of CFO.
Separately, IPG Mediabrands Australia CEO Mark Coad and APAC chief Leigh Terry have exited the organisation. Read details about the wave of exits here.
Across Australia, agency leadership remains unchanged, with Sian Whitnall (OMD), Laura Nice (PHD), Anathea Ruys (UM), Jo McAlister (Initiative) and Sue Squillace (Mediahub) continuing in their roles.
Hearts & Science, however, has not had a CEO since Jane Stanley’s move to Air New Zealand.
China
- Longstanding OMG leader Claudine Kwek will lead the media capabilities in the combined entity
- Omnicom's chief commercial officer, Jane Gu, retains the same role as well.
Hong Kong
- OMG's Derek Yip is the COO of the combined entity
- OMG's Jacqueline Chan is the CFO.
India
- Kartik Sharma, who has been serving as CEO of Omnicom Media Group India, continues in the CEO role under the newly merged Omnicom Media structure.
- He is joined by Rishit Mehta, who retains his position as CFO, and Amardeep Singh, who continues as COO. In addition, Shashi Sinha, one of India's most seasoned media leaders, remains on board as strategic advisor.
All four leaders come from the Omnicom side of the business.
Indonesia
- OMG market leader Rajat Basra is the new CEO.
- OMG's Lana Dardjowidjojo will support as CFO.
Japan
One of the few markets where IPG Mediabrands leaders find a seat at the table.
- IPG CEO Matt Ware retains his position as Omnicom Media CEO.
- IPG Mediabrands CFO Takahiro Oe retains the position.
Malaysia
- PHD veteran leader Eileen Ooi assumes the PHD president title for APAC. She will also lead Malaysia in a newly created executive integration lead position, along with IPG Mediabrands Malaysia CEO Darren Yuen, who is the new CEO.
- Muralitharan Ramasamy is the CFO.
New Zealand
In February 2025, Omnicom carved a separate NZ media leadership from the ANZ structure. Nikki Grafton (ex-PhD) was appointed as the CEO of OMG New Zealand. She continues operating in the same capacity in the merged entity as well.
Verity McQuade will join her as CFO.
Philippines
OMG Philippines leader Mary Buenaventura is the CEO of Omnicom Media, with Ulysses King serving as CFO.
Singapore
OMG veteran Chloe Neo will retain her chief exec title as the new entity takes shape.
Reynold Seah is the CFO.
Taiwan
Kelly Huang, Omnicom Media Group CEO since 2017, will continue to lead the market alongside CFO Lisa Wu.
Thailand
Rochelle Chhaya has been double-hatting at the Hearts & Science APAC CEO and OMG market CEO since January 2025 - she assumes the chief exec mandate for the market. OMD's Noppadol Vetvoranich will serve in the same capacity going forward.
Vietnam
Omnicom maintains continuity in Vietnam, with 17-year OMG veteran Van Anh Tran Luu retaining her role as CEO, alongside COO Julien Courant and CFO Tam Pham.
Creative: Market-by-market leadership
India
Prasoon Joshi, one of India’s most influential creative leaders, will chair Omnicom Advertising India, while Aditya Kanthy steps into the role of president and managing director and will oversee BBDO, TBWA and McCann. Both leaders will report directly to Sean Donovan in Singapore.
Group CEO of MullenLowe Lintas Group, S. Subramanyeswar, also known as ‘Subbu’ will double hat as the India chief strategy officer and chief knowledge officer for Asia.
Key appointments
- Dheeraj Sinha, formerly CEO of FCB South Asia, becomes CEO of McCann Worldgroup India, DDB's Rahul Mathew, joins him as CCO.
- Josy Paul continues as chair and CCO of BBDO India, with a refreshed leadership slate to be announced.
- Govind Pandey (TBWA India CEO) and Prateek Bhardwaj (Lowe Lintas CCO) lead the merged TBWA Lintas network.
- Chandni Shah, co-founder of FCB Kinnect and a 2023 Campaign 40 Under 40 honouree, becomes CEO of the combined Kinnect–22feet Tribal organisation. All the agency brand heads will be reporting to Kanthy.
Australia
The MullenLowe brand is sunsetting globally, but in Australia, the agency is charting its own path. The shop will fly solo under its original name, 303. The agency—majority-owned by Attivo Group and founded in 1991—first adopted the 303 MullenLowe name in 2016, before IPG sold a controlling stake to Attivo in 2021.
303 will continue to sit within Attivo Group, with no changes to the ownership structure of its sister agency, Mediahub.
The agency has offices in Perth, Sydney and Auckland, and works with clients including insurance major Budget Direct, OMO, Weet-Bix, St John WA, Lotterywest and Safework NSW, among others. Across Australia and New Zealand, it also services Sanitarium and Bayer. In 2025 alone, 303 has picked up a string of wins, including SafeWork NSW, NSW Environment Protection Authority, Netball WA, Levande Retirement Living, The Push Up Challenge and WA Museum.
At the Omnicom level, DDB Australia will fold into Clemenger BBDO – both are merged into one unified national agency under the Clemenger BBDO brand. Media and PR are unaffected for now.
Key appointments
- Leadership of BBDO Australia includes two co-CEOs. Sheryl Marjoram, the former DDB Sydney chief and DDB Melbourne’s Mike Napolitano will jointly lead creative, media, strategic and operational direction.
- Lee Leggett, the outgoing CEO of Clemenger BBDO, jumps into a new regional role of chief customer officer, Omnicom Oceania. Her remit will include strengthening client experience and integration.
New Zealand
DDB Group Aotearoa and FCB Group Aotearoa will merge to form McCann Group NZ, a unified creative and media network.
Key appointments
- Priya Patel, the CEO, DDB Group Aotearoa and FCB Group Aotearoa’s CEO, Paul Wilson will be co-CEOs of McCann Group NZ.
- In Wellington, Clems Wellington and FCB Wellington will rebrand as McCann Wellington and operate as part of McCann Group NZ. Local leadership for McCann Wellington is expected to be announced.
Nick Garrett, CEO of Omnicom Oceania, told Campaign Asia-Pacific, “This is a defining moment for our region. By bringing together the depth, ambition and talent of our people, while simplifying the architecture, we are creating modern, future-fit agencies and capabilities that will deliver world-class creativity & media, smarter data and technology integration, and new levels of effectiveness for brands in Australia and New Zealand.
"I want to congratulate Priya Patel, Paul Wilson, Sheryl Marjoram, Mike Napolitano and Lee Leggett on their new roles. Their leadership will play a critical part in shaping the next era of Omnicom Oceania. These changes honour the legacies of our heritage brands while positioning us to unlock even greater opportunity, effectiveness and growth for our clients and our people.”
Transition to the new structure
Campaign has learned that the new operating structure will take effect from January 1, 2026. Leadership for most Asian markets will be announced in January as well.
In the interim, employees have been assured that additional operational details will follow in the coming weeks as agencies refine implementation frameworks.
4,000 jobs on the line
Omnicom has confirmed that 4,000 roles will be cut globally as part of the restructuring. These reductions come on top of the 3,200 jobs IPG shed earlier this year ahead of the acquisition, and the 3,000 staff Omnicom let go after announcing the deal last fall.
In total, the merger will result in roughly 10,000 eliminated positions—about 8% of the combined organisation’s 2024 headcount.
Some cuts began on October 1, but the bulk will land in December, with several expected as early as this week. According to the Financial Times, the financial upside of the merger is now projected to exceed the US$750 million in annual cost savings originally communicated to the market, with more detail expected early next year.
