OMD's New COO Redefines Role for Evolving Ad Landscape

OMD has appointed Ellen Griffin to the newly created position of President and Global Chief Operating Officer, signaling a significant evolution in how the media agency approaches operational leadership. The move reflects a broader industry shift, where traditional COO responsibilities—focused on day-to-day operations and efficiency—are expanding to encompass strategic integration of technology and capabilities across diverse agency services.

In her expanded role, Griffin will be responsible for consolidating OMD’s vast capabilities and talent, drawing from both OMD and the wider Omnicom network. The objective is to develop and implement highly effective working models tailored to client needs.

“We find ourselves at a moment where client needs have expanded, and we’ve never had more capability and expertise internally to solve for that,” said George Manas, OMD Worldwide CEO. “So the key question becomes—especially for an OMD, which is so large and touches such a broad client base—how do we best organize to deliver the best of those capabilities in an integrated and streamlined way?”

Griffin is uniquely qualified for this challenge. Previously OMD’s Global Chief Client Solutions Officer, she was instrumental in securing major client wins, including Beiersdorf and Amazon. She also led a significant overhaul of the agency’s working model with PepsiCo, introducing new operational methods and leveraging technology to address specific client challenges.

An example of her prior work involved establishing consistent data access for a global client across all platforms and countries. This initiative necessitated changes in platform ownership and data taxonomy, ultimately leading the client to centralize their data access and prompting OMD to build a new operational model around this setup. “Now we are changing the entire way that we are structured and the way that we are connecting with them as well,” Griffin explained.

Reporting directly to CEO Manas, Griffin’s elevated position grants her expanded authority and scope to proactively address client challenges across the organization. Rather than reacting to issues as they arise, she will now focus on holistic, preventative solutions. Griffin emphasized her commitment to both securing new business and proactively enhancing relationships with existing clients. “We’re going to ensure that we’re creating what’s next for our happy clients,” she stated, adding, “I always say, I’d rather not be a firefighter. I’d rather make sure fires don’t happen.”

OMD is embracing a more customized approach to client operating models, reflecting the increasing industry demand for agencies to deliver more value with fewer resources. Many of the models Griffin and her team will develop are built around Omni, Omnicom’s proprietary operating system, and will incorporate new applications of automation, technology, and offshoring. These innovations can manifest as automated dashboards for information delivery or the establishment of offshore hubs to support local teams.

“Typically, the clients that I am the most engaged on are the highest users of our technology, because we fit for purpose those utilities to actually service their needs,” Griffin noted. The efficiencies and cost savings generated by these efforts are then reinvested into the agency’s work for the client, rather than simply increasing full-time staff on an account. “It’s not about shrinking how we operate together. It’s about how we grow what we do without necessarily being able to double the FTEs or time [spent],” she clarified, highlighting that quarterly calibrations ensure these new working methods remain effective.

Manas believes that this evolving “orchestrator” role will become increasingly common for media agencies, acknowledging that it represents a significant departure from traditional job descriptions of just a few years ago. As media agencies expand their offerings beyond media buying, Griffin sees her role as a “translator,” bridging the gap between OMD’s capabilities and its clients’ evolving needs. This strategic appointment is designed to institutionalize Griffin’s innovative approach, ensuring her impactful work benefits the entire organization rather than remaining confined to specific projects.