Omnicom Media Group (OMG) has tapped OMG CEO EMEA Guy Marks to succeed Philippa Brown as CEO of PHD Worldwide.
Brown has served as PHD’s global CEO since 2019, and is stepping down following almost four decades in the media industry – including 16 years in leadership positions with OMG – to focus on non-executive advisory roles at both the corporate and advocacy levels, the company said.
Marks joined OMG in 2014 following Omnicom’s acquisition of Mobile5, the global UX, design, and tech consultancy service that he co-founded.
“Guy is one of our industry’s most entrepreneurial leaders, with an approach that transformed first OMD’s and subsequently Omnicom Media Group’s offering in EMEA over the past six years,” said OMG global CEO Florian Adamski.
“By enabling our agencies to quickly identify, adapt and respond in real time to the challenges of a dramatically changing consumer marketplace, he’s unlocked growth for our clients and made OMG the #1 media agency group for net new business in the EMEA region for the year-to-date, according to the most recent COMvergence reporting.”
Commenting on Brown’s contributions, Adamski said “After leading the agency through the Covid crisis, she brought PHD back stronger than ever, earning Media Network of the Year honors at the 2021 Cannes Festival; winning Diageo, Chanel, Unilever, and most recently, the $300 million Grupo Bimbo account.”
“We are deeply grateful for her tireless leadership, creative vision, and unwavering commitment to meeting the needs of her clients and her people, and we wish her all the best as she redirects her singular energy, experience, and expertise to an exciting new chapter in her career.”
Marks said of his new role: “As the CEO of PHD – an agency that was born from a transformative concept of media as a strategic tool – my priority will be assuring that every PHD account team around the world have the talent, tools, technology and collective commitment to excellence they need to deliver the transformative ideas, solutions and service that drive growth for our clients, our agency, and our people.”
