• by Joe Mandese , July 18, 2024

Six months after its acquisition by Omnicom, Flywheel Digital reorganized its C-suite, naming long-time exec Alex McCord CEO replacing Duncan Painter, who moves to chief executive of Omnicom's commerce division.

Painter -- the former Ascential plc CEO who oversaw Ascential's nearly billion-dollar sale of Flywheel to Omnicom, joined the U.S.-based agency holding company as CEO of Flywheel Digital following the sale, assuming the role previously handled by McCord, who also previously held the role of CEO of enterprise for Ascential's digital commerce division, which included Flywheel.

Prior to joining Flywheel in 2016, McCord was a long-time executive of Compass Marketing Inc., which has sued Flywheel, Ascential and various individuals in federal and Maryland state lawsuits.

Last week, a federal appellate court rejected Compass's federal suit, and Compass CEO John White vowed to continue pursuing the Maryland state suit and said he planned to amend it to include Omnicom as a defendant.

On Wednesday, attorneys for Compass filed a petition to rehear the federal court's suit decision.

This morning, the petition was stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

An Omnicom spokesperson downplayed the significance of Painter's and McCord's LinkedIn postings, noting that Painter has already been overseeing Omnicom's commerce assets, which include Flywheel Digital and Omnicom's preexisting Transact unit.

She also described McCord's role as CEO of the "Flywheel Agency," which is what Omnicom now is describing Flywheel Digital as, though neither Omnicom's nor Flywheel's sites have been updated to reflect that yet.

"I was fortunate to join Flywheel as employee number 10. 9 integrations, 2 acquisitions, and over 2,000 colleagues later -- Flywheel stands as the global leader in the most exciting and disruptive part of both retail and advertising," McCord wrote in his LinkedIn post, adding, "There's so much more for us to unlock as a part of Omnicom and every day represents a new opportunity.

"I'm excited to lead Flywheel into this next chapter alongside all of the exceptional leaders and stunning colleagues that make up our team. I'm forever grateful to Duncan Painter, Chip DiPaula, and Patrick Miller for their trust and empowerment. Let's go!"