In January, Cincinnati-based media agency Empower was sold to Ashlee Clarke and it seems the transition to new ownership has been anything but smooth, according to a report by Adage.com on Monday. 

According to the report, there has been a clash of new and old cultures as the agency has seen an exodus of over 100 staffers since February, over a dozen landing at nearby Procter & Gamble where they’ve been hired to help run its in-house media department.  

Also, previous owner Jim Price who originally agreed to stay on to 2024 has taken what the Adage.com report described as an "early buyout," as did another top executive, Chief Investment Owner Kathy Shaffner.  

Per the report Empower was so miffed at the defections to P&G it wrote a cease-and-desist letter to the company.  

Under old ownership Empower positioned itself as the “Un-Holding Company,” a reference to the alleged lack of transparency on the part of some holding companies in dealing with clients. Those allegations and more were the subject of a widely reported on “Transparency Report” issued by the ANA in 2016.  

The agency issued a comment to Adage.com confirming many parts of its story including its moving away from the “Unholding company” positioning.  

Clarke declined to be interviewed for the story and an agency spokesman said it is not commenting further on it.