Omnicom Media holds first global town hall after $13 billion IPG acquisition

Omnicom Media held its first company-wide town hall on December 3, following parent company Omnicom Group’s $13 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG). The meeting, which ran for about two and a half hours, according to a media report.

Opening the session, CEO Florian Adamski addressed scrutiny surrounding the merger and what he described as negative press and social-media commentary. He reportedly referred to critics as ‘haters’ and said decisions were made after ‘considerable deliberation,’ urging employees to remain patient as integration plans roll out.

Adamski said the restructuring is intended to build a more unified, data-driven media organisation rather than serve as a cost-cutting exercise. He outlined a new operating model built around six core media agencies - OMD, Initiative, UM, PHD, Hearts & Science, and Mediahub - which will serve as the primary client-facing groups.

The model includes supporting units such as Omnicom Media Investment, Kinesso and the Outdoor Media Group. A central intelligence layer anchored by Acxiom and Annalect will lead data, analytics and planning work, while specialised practices in areas including health, sports and influencer marketing will support category-specific needs.

The meeting also detailed leadership changes across the combined network. Former IPG Global Media Chief Eileen Kiernan, who is expected to exit in 2025, participated in the town hall and expressed confidence in the integration. Other senior IPG executives, Justin Wroe in commercial, Dan Fox in investment and Jonathan Rigby in strategy, are taking on expanded roles.

Wroe later joined Omnicom CMO Sofia Colantropo, COO Kate Osborne and transformation chief Jarrod Martin for a panel on aligning commercial operations and improving global consistency. Osborne told staff they can expect a phased transformation roadmap.

Among agency-level updates, Ralph Pardo will serve as interim CEO of Hearts & Science while continuing to lead Omnicom Media North America. Mediahub remains under U.S. CEO Nicole Estebanell while global leadership is reviewed.

Regional leaders from North America, EMEA, APAC and LATAM discussed plans to streamline delivery and integrate workflows across previously separate markets. Adamski told employees that leadership decisions and structural changes will be sequenced over time and promised ongoing transparency as the transition proceeds.

The overall tone of the meeting balanced acknowledgement of uncertainty with confidence in the long-term advantages the merged organisation aims to build through scale, technology and data-driven capabilities.