• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, July 16, 2024

Months after Omnicom completed its nearly billion-dollar acquisition of commerce platform Flywheel Digital, WPP’s GroupM unit has named its top platforms executive to a new position responsible for the agency’s global commerce partnerships strategy, retailer relationships, and technology.

The executive, Sandy Welsch -- a nearly seven-year veteran of Flywheel, who most recently served as vice president of omnichannel platforms -- has been named executive director of global commerce partnerships and enablement at GroupM, overseeing leading-edge commerce deals.

In his new role, Welsch will work closely with GroupM data and technology unit Choreograph, including the integration of new partners into its Open Media Studio hub.

Prior to joining Flwyheel in 2017, Welsch held senior positions at AOL and Millennial Media.

He is credited with building Flywheel’s first programmatic media capability and integrating it with the then-emerging off-platform capabilities of Amazon DSP and The Trade Desk.

The appointment comes as most big agencies have accelerated their commerce capabilities amid a gold rush of retail media, and as Omnicom in particular has repositioned itself around its Flywheel integration.

In its first-quarter earnings call, Omnicom referenced Flywheel 64 times. Omnicom will hold its second-quarter earnings call later today.

It also comes as GroupM and Omnicom reportedly are in a “two-horse race” to win Amazon’s $2.5 billion media account.