• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, August 27, 2024

Omnicom this morning unveiled the launch of Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG), a new global organization encompassing BBDO, DDB and TBWA, as well as leading agencies within its Advertising Collective (including Goodby Silverstein & Partners, GSD&M, Merkley+Partners and Zimmerman).

The new group will be led by former TBWA President-CEO Troy Ruhanen as global CEO, Deepthi Prakash as chief operating officer and Denis Streiff as global CFO.

"OAG will make the best even better. One of the most exciting parts of this new division is that we can collectively invest in innovative offerings – such as Omnicom's recent first-mover partnerships in GenAI," Ruhanen said in a statement, adding: "This will take our world-class creativity to the next level and keep our clients at the top of their industries. While we are excited to grow together, we will continue to celebrate and protect the uniqueness of each agency's culture and entrepreneurship."

The agency networks within OAG will report to Ruhanen and will be led by:

• Nancy Reyes, who was recently promoted to Global CEO of BBDO
• Alex Lubar, global CEO of DDB
• Erin Riley, who is being elevated to CEO of TBWA\Worldwide from her previous role as TBWA\Chiat\Day US CEO
• James Fenton, CEO of the Advertising Collective

Existing clients will continue to be serviced by the agency and teams they currently work with, now with the enhanced capabilities of the wider group. The changes will take effect on January 1, 2025.