• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 4, 2021

Omnicom Group has promoted Michael Larson to CEO of the company’s Diversified Agency Services division, which includes an array of marketing services businesses including the Health Group, Precision Marketing and Commerce Groups among others.

Larson succeeds Dale Adams who has been CEO for a decade and who retains the Chairman’s role. Larson will report to Adams.

Joining Omnicom in 2008, Larson formed and led the Optimization Group. He has served as President of DAS since 2018, overseeing the network’s management business strategy, operations and talent management. With a background in operations and finance, Larson has engineered many of Omnicom’s multi-agency teams and was instrumental in Omnicom’s support of the marketing transformation of clients such as PepsiCo, Bayer, SC Johnson, Merck, AT&T, Novartis, Ford, Philips, McDonald’s and Pfizer.

Separately, John Doolittle has been named CEO of Communications Consultancy Network, a newly formed DAS unit comprised of Omnicom Public Relations Group and the Brand Consulting Group. The PR group includes agencies FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Marina Maher Communications, Porter Novelli and others. The Brand Consulting Group includes agencies Hall & Partners, Interbrand, Siegel+Gale and others.

Doolittle will oversee strategic initiatives including M&A and growth strategies. Also providing oversight to the Brand Consulting Group will be Chuck Brymer who continues as Chairman. Brymer also led Omnicom ad agency DDB for 12 years as CEO and remains Chairman there. Earlier he was Chairman and CEO at Interbrand.