• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 28, 2022

Omnicom Group has added two new independent members to its board of directors, expanding the company’s board to 11 members, 10 of whom are independent. Company chairman and CEO John Wren is the sole Omnicom executive on the board. 

The Omnicom board, once criticized for being dominated by white males and insiders, is much more diverse now with seven women, four African Americans and one Latina. 

The new appointees are Patricia Salas Pineda -- whose appointment is effective immediately -- and Mark D. Gerstein, who will join officially on May 1. 

Pineda served for more than 30 years at Toyota Motor North America, including roles as General Counsel and Group VP of Administration, Corporate Advertising, Corporate Communications and Diversity. She is currently a member of the board of the Latino Corporate Directors Association and a member of the board of trustees for Earthjustice. At Omnicom, she is on the board’s governance committee. 

Since 1996, Gerstein has been a partner at law firm Latham & Watkins where he helped build the firm’s global M&A practice. He served for a time as global chair of the M&A Group. He also counseled companies on corporate governance, investor relations and other strategic and capital markets issues. He is currently a board member of Chicago-based Youth Guidance and serves on the University of Michigan’s Dean’s Advisory Council at the School of Literature, Science And The Arts.
At Omnicom, Gerstein will serve on the board's finance committee.