BBDO New York Top Executives Depart Following Omnicom and IPG Merger

Emma Armstrong and Michael Aimette took the helm at BBDO NY after Omnicom bought IPG and, as part of the restructuring, BBDO absorbed the creative agency FCB. It was from that network that both executives moved to BBDO in their new roles.

Kelli MacDonald is the third executive in this chain of departures. Like Armstrong and Aimette, she previously worked at FCB and joined BBDO as a result of the acquisition. The agency cites a new professional opportunity as the reason for her departure.

Deal Context

Omnicom closed its acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG) about 10 months ago. The deal was worth $13 billion. The combined company became the largest player among global advertising holding companies.

The IPG acquisition led to a consolidation of creative networks within Omnicom: BBDO took in the agency FCB, which had previously been part of IPG's structure and was considered its creative rival. Along with the brand, part of FCB's management team moved to BBDO — including Armstrong, Aimette, and MacDonald.

Now, less than a year after the deal closed, all three are leaving the company. In its comment to ADWEEK, the agency did not name successors for the vacated positions.

Market Implications

The New York office has traditionally served as the flagship of BBDO's global network. The simultaneous departure of the CEO, chief creative officer, and chief client officer raises the question of succession in three key areas at once.

The departures themselves are directly tied to the integration processes following the largest advertising market deal in recent years: all three executives ended up at BBDO precisely as a result of the FCB acquisition. Their exit marks another stage in the restructuring that Omnicom's creative networks have been undergoing since the merger with IPG.