Asia Pacific — Mapping the events after the Omnicom-Interpublic Group (IPG) major shake-up, IPG CEOs Leigh Terry of APAC and Mark Coad of Australia, as well as James Hawkins, APAC chief client officer, have announced their respective exits from the business.
While the company is yet to announce the news, Leigh has confirmed via a LinkedIn post that he is only ‘leaving the business, but not the industry’.
“I want to thank our people, clients, and partners for a chapter I’m incredibly proud of. Leading this team has been a privilege, and I’m grateful for the trust and support shown throughout my time here,” Leigh wrote.
In a separate post, Mark also confirmed his exit after serving as a key leader in the company for six years.
“I’ve had an outpouring of messages of support that I’m genuinely grateful for – from clients, media partners, industry friends and the teams I worked with. I am looking forward to connecting with you all. We are part of a great industry that I’ve always been immensely proud of and I’m not done with it yet! Wishing everyone a great end to the year!” Mark commented.
James, on his LinkedIn post, also wrote, “The news is out. I really did have a great year and we achieved so much in a short period of time. As always, it’s the people that make an organisation and there is some exceptional talent across the network that are a real pleasure to work with. I wish all my ex-colleagues and friends from both organisations all the best for the integration.”
All three have shared taking their time off to consider next steps, while noting separate gratitude statements for clients.
Meanwhile, Tony Harradine of Omnicom Media Group will assume the responsibilities across APAC after Leigh’s exit.
Not less than a month after the news of the merger came, major layoffs of over 4,000 personnel were announced, as well as the retirement of legacy agencies FCB, DDB, and MullenLowe.
