Omnicom insiders are denying the rumor circling around the AAAA media conference here that Carat chief David Verklin may be stepping in to fill the shoes of departing OMD chief Joe Uva. “People
think it’s an interesting rumor, but they were almost chuckling about it,†one Omnicom exec tells
MediaPost Raw. For the moment, Omnicom is sticking with its story that Omnicom Media Group
chief Daryl Simm will assume some of Uva’s duties when he leaves to become CEO of Univision, but the company ultimately is expected to begin a search for a replacement. It just hasn’t done so yet.
Who else might be in line for the job? Given Omnicom’s past patterns, maybe they’ll tap current Turner ad sales chief David Levy. (Before joining OMD, Uva was president of ad sales at Turner.) One
person who’s not in line for the job is Steve Grubbs, CEO of Omnicom’s other media network, PHD. When we asked Grubbs if “that rumor was true,†he also chuckled. As for Verklin, the
speculation is natural given his high profile status in the industry, and the fact that some think the writing is on the wall at Carat parent Aegis, and that it will likely be acquired and/or
restructured soon. Verklin, of course, stands to profit tidily from that should it happen. He currently is the largest stockholder of any executive on Aegis’ management team. He’s already sold
millions in Aegis stock and currently owns shares valued at $11.6 million. Then again, if Verklin were to leave Aegis, where might he end up? Based on how much Starcom MediaVest Group chief Renetta
McCann said she loved him during Verklin’s recent roast, maybe he’ll end up at Publicis.
