Omnicom–IPG merger claims major APAC casualties

The shake-up following Omnicom’s adoption of Interpublic Group has reached Australia and APAC, with IPG Mediabrands Australia CEO Mark Coad and APAC CEO Leigh Terry being made redundant.

Industry sources confirmed the exits as part of a broader wave of redundancies flowing from the global merger, finalised earlier this week.

Coad had also recently been elected chair of the Media Federation of Australia (MFA), while Terry has been a key regional leader overseeing the APAC footprint.

Redundancies remain limited in Australia

While insiders say local redundancies are relatively contained, Omnicom is understood to be targeting around 4,000 roles globally as part of the integration.

This reduction comes on top of workforce changes made in the months leading up to the deal’s completion.

Omnicom did not comment on individual departures.

Omnicom has outlined significant structural changes across the region, including the merger of DDB Australia into Clemenger BBDO Australia, which will now be led jointly by Sheryl Marjoram (Sydney) and Mike Napolitano (Melbourne) as co-CEOs.

Former Clemenger BBDO CEO Lee Leggett has taken on a new senior regional role as chief customer officer at Omnicom Oceania.

The merger also accelerates Omnicom’s global creative reorganisation. As part of the transition, Omnicom will retire the DDB and FCB brands worldwide, a major strategic shift that reshapes decades-old global agency identities.

The consolidation of Omnicom and Interpublic, the largest adland deal in history, is rapidly restructuring leadership, operations and branding across multiple markets.

More changes (redundancies) are expected in the coming months as the newly combined company aligns its global footprint.

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