• by Larissa Faw , November 10, 2020

Omnicom Group’s DDB Worldwide is promoting two executives to newly created global roles as the agency seeks to thrive post-pandemic.

“Things are changing rapidly, and we’re moving at pace to stay ahead,” states Worldwide CEO Marty O’Halloran.

Under the reorganization, Alex Hesz is elevated to Global Chief Strategy Officer to oversee the entirety of DDB’s global offerings and strengthen its connectedness and integration. Hesz most recently led strategy for DDB’s Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) region and was head of strategy for the network’s adam&eve agency. Hesz has also led strategic offerings across multiple offices and handles accounts such as Lloyds Banking Group, BlackRock, Booking.com, Virgin Media, Beam Suntory, Mars and Unilever.

Concurrently, DDB is promoting Roisin Rooney from EMEA Chief People Officer to Global Chief People Officer. She will lead recruitment, retention, leadership development and training and initiatives. Rooney brings a strong background in diversifying hiring practices. She previously served as chairperson of the International Agencies’ Council of the European Association of Communication Agencies from 2016 to 2019.

She was a member of Omnicom’s EDU Advisory Board, a team of practitioners charged with creating global training and development solutions for the holding group’s 1,200 companies and 65,000 employees.

Both report to O’Halloran and the two leaders will continue to be based in their London offices. “If COVID has taught us anything, it’s that teams can connect from anywhere,” says O’Halloran. “There is no plan for either of them to move although they will be in our offices across the world when we can travel again.”