Dana Maiman named CEO of Omnicom Health

Just under a year after its ambitious plan was unveiled, advertising giant Omnicom has officially closed its industry-disrupting acquisition of rival IPG. The landmark deal brings immediate structural and leadership changes, notably the appointment of former IPG Health CEO Dana Maiman to lead the newly formed Omnicom Health, alongside an initial workforce reduction impacting approximately 4,000 employees.

Omnicom CEO John Wren outlined the strategic rationale behind the workforce adjustments, stating the cuts would be done "up front to the best of their ability." Wren emphasized the importance of this approach to provide assurance to employees moving into the "new Omnicom" that they wouldn't face "an unprofessional drip, drip, drip type of cuts." The goal of these redundancies, he explained, is to streamline operations by getting client-facing and client-servicing personnel as close as possible to the clients, eliminating "bureaucracies and layers of people that are designed to report up to corporate groups."

The actual number of employees departing the organization is expected to exceed the initial 4,000 figure, as Omnicom plans to close some underperforming agencies in smaller markets and sell down to minority stakes in others. Employees affected by these closures and sales will no longer be considered Omnicom employees. An Omnicom spokesperson declined to provide further details on the specific impact on Omnicom Health or whether layoffs would affect all organizational levels.

Within the new Omnicom Health structure, significant changes are anticipated for existing agency brands. While a timeline was not provided, an Omnicom spokesperson confirmed that FCB Health and DDB Health will eventually undergo name changes.

The acquisition's path has been marked by a series of leadership and structural shifts within both companies since Omnicom first announced its intention to purchase IPG.

One of the most notable personnel changes occurred shortly after the mega-merger was unveiled: the departure of Omnicom Health Group (OHG) CEO Matt McNally. After nearly three years in the role, McNally was succeeded on an interim basis by DAS Group CEO Michael Larson. Early the following year, McNally returned to Publicis Groupe, taking on the role of global CEO of Publicis Health.

Further leadership changes followed, with OHG's chief marketing officer, Craig Romanok, announcing his departure a few months later. Romanok, who had joined OHG in January 2024 after serving as managing director at DDB Health, subsequently joined Digitas Health, a Publicis Health creative agency, as chief commercial officer in June.