Omnicom Media Group divides APAC and EMEA leadership as Mike Cooper takes new role

Omnicom Media Group has split its Asia Pacific and EMEA leadership, appointing Guy Marks (pictured left) as CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA, effective immediately, while Mike Cooper (pictured right) takes on the new role of vice chairman, Omnicom Group Europe.

Cooper’s new role follows 25 years as a founding executive of OMG where his leadership roles included CEO of PHD Worldwide and CEO of both EMEA and APAC, where he led the original formation of OMD. Cooper reports to Omnicom president and COO Daryl Simm, and will support Omnicom’s international client strategy. In addition, he will be actively involved in Omnicom University, Omnicom’s renowned Talent Development Program working with Karen Van Bergen, Dean of Omnicom University.

Meanwhile, Marks, previously leader of OMD EMEA, will oversee strategy, operations and the development and adoption of transformative capabilities to support OMG agencies - including OMD, PHD, Hearts & Science, and its Annalect data and analytics division - across EMEA. He joins other regional OMG CEOs globally - Tony Harradine in Asia Pacific, Scott Hagedorn in North America, and Julian Porras in LATAM.

In terms of Marks' new role, Omnicom Media Group global CEO Florian Adamski has defined OMG’s mission: to live in service of our markets by enabling transformational product and client service. For the OMG regional leaders, that means creating and deploying product that equips our agencies to quickly identify, adapt and be responsive in real-time to the challenges of a dramatically changing consumer marketplace.

According to the agency, this is a mission for which Marks, whose career began in the digital, mobile, and adtech worlds, is uniquely qualified. Marks joined OMG in 2014 following Omnicom’s acquisition of a UX, design and tech consultancy service that he co-founded. He was named CEO of OMD EMEA in 2018. His successor as leader of OMD EMEA is expected to be named in the coming weeks.

Marks said his career to date - whether in the start-up space or as part of the world's biggest media agency - can be summed up in one word: collaboration. "Whether you’re 10 people around a kitchen table, or 10,000 people around the EMEA region, collaboration elevates our thinking and accelerates the pace of change. As the CEO of Omnicom Media Group EMEA, my priority will be assuring our agencies have the talent, technology and behaviours required to drive collaboration, fuel innovation and deliver better outcomes for our clients," he added.

According to Adamski, Marks will make OMG "more agile in bringing best of breed skills, knowledge and technology" to its agencies and clients. "Marks has proven time and again that he knows how to build the teams, capabilities, tools and products that elevate the agency/client relationship from transactional to transformational," he said.

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