OMD Worldwide Appoints George Manas as CEO

Mandy Walis joins as Chief Operating Officer of OMD U.S.

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Nov 01, 2021, 10:00 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Omnicom Media Group's OMD Worldwide today announced George Manas as its Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Manas succeeds Florian Adamski, who was elevated to CEO of Omnicom Media Group.

As CEO, Manas will lead OMD's worldwide strategy, operations and capabilities, as well as work with clients from some of the world's most iconic brands. Throughout his 17 years in media, performance marketing and CRM, Manas has continuously challenged legacy models and successfully built new approaches guided by the creative application of talent, tools and technology.

"At Omnicom, we place considerable emphasis on succession planning. Florian and I have long agreed that George would be the right person to take the helm of OMD Worldwide," said Daryl Simm, President and COO, Omnicom Group. "George's recognition among Adweek's 50 Most Transformative Execs and Media All-Stars is a result of his relentless work with clients to unlock new pathways to making Better Decisions, Faster."

Manas previously served as Chief Media Officer of OMD U.S. In this role, he stewarded the U.S. rollout of OMD Design, OMD's proprietary approach that harnesses the power of Omni, Omnicom's open operating system that helps marketers orchestrate better outcomes. Prior to OMD U.S., Manas served as President of Omnicom Media Group's performance unit, Resolution Media.

Adamski added, "Tech development has radically re-organized marketing. George has proven time and time again his ability to reimagine and rise to new challenges, contributing to OMD's strength over the past 4 years. There is no one better able to accelerate the outcome-driven work we are doing for our clients and develop an even more magnetic place for the best talent."

Mandy Walis will fill Manas' previous role, taking on the title of Chief Operating Officer of OMD U.S. As COO, Walis' responsibilities will include leading the transformational vision and operational management of the agency, working alongside and reporting into OMD U.S. CEO John Osborn. In addition, Walis will oversee the agency's Business Transformation Office, which houses specialized capabilities focused on delivering speed, agility and efficiency across OMD's end-to-end workflow.

Walis comes to OMD with over 15 years of experience across client management, business operations and product strategy. Prior to OMD, she served as Vice President of Product Strategy Management at WPP's Essence, where she led strategic initiatives related to the agency's global growth and improvement.

Passionate about promoting gender equity in the workplace, Walis founded and led the employee resource group Women@Essence and offers her time as a mentor through organizations such as She Runs It, Step Up Women's Network and Build by Girls. She is also a founding member of Chief, a network dedicated to connecting and supporting women in leadership. While at Essence, she created the Essence Immersion Day program, which provided college students from underrepresented groups access to media agency professionals.

More information can be found in their biographies below.

George Manas, Chief Executive Officer, OMD Worldwide, biography
Mandy Walis, Chief Operating Officer, OMD U.S., biography

About OMD
OMD is the world's largest media network with more than 12,000 people working in over 100 countries. As the world grows with opportunities, the key is reacting to them, by making Better decisions, faster - combining innovation, creativity, empathy, and evidence to deliver better business outcomes. Named Adweek's Global Media Agency of the Year in 2020 and 2019, OMD is ranked the best performing global media network overall according to RECMA, the world's most effective media agency network in the Effie Effectiveness Index and was the most medaled agency network at the 2021 Cannes Lions Festival.

About Omnicom Media Group
Omnicom Media Group (OMG) is the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC), a leading global marketing and corporate communications company, providing services to more than 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Omnicom Media Group includes full- service media agencies Hearts & Science, OMD and PHD; performance marketing agency Resolution; Optimum Sports Media and Marketing; and the Annalect data and analytics division that developed and manages the Omni marketing operating system underpinning all Omnicom agencies.

About Omnicom
Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom's branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 70 countries. Follow us on Twitter for the latest news.

SOURCE OMD Worldwide