Kristiaan Kroon has been appointed as CEO of Omnicom Media Australia.
His appointment was confirmed yesterday by Omnicom Media Group APAC CEO Tony Harradine following months of speculation.
Mediaweek has reached out to Omnicom Media Australia for further comment.
Kroon was promoted to chief operating officer in December last year and spent the last eight years prior as chief investment officer of Omnicom Media Group in Australia.
Changes at Omnicom Oceania
Kristiaan Kroon’s news was notably left of the list of local changes made across Australia and New Zealand, which were unveiled yesterday, that align with the group’s updated global structure following the completion of the IPG acquisition.
In Australia, DDB Australia will merge with Clemenger BBDO Australia, creating a single, unified national agency under the Clemenger BBDO name.
Sheryl Marjoram (Sydney) and Mike Napolitano (Melbourne) have been appointed Co-CEOs of Clemenger BBDO Australia, responsible for leading the national agency and shaping its creative, media, strategic and operational direction.
Lee Leggett, outgoing CEO of Clemenger BBDO, will transition into a new senior Oceania role: Chief Customer Officer, Omnicom Oceania, strengthening the group’s focus on client experience and integration across Australia and New Zealand.
Laura Nice steps into the role of CEO of PHD Australia, while Sian Whitnall is now the sole CEO of OMD Australia.
In New Zealand, DDB Group Aotearoa and FCB Group Aotearoa will merge to form McCann Group NZ, a new unified creative & media agency network.
Priya Patel (CEO, DDB Group Aotearoa) and Paul Wilson (CEO, FCB Group Aotearoa) have been appointed Co-CEOs of McCann Group NZ, bringing together deep leadership, client expertise and market influence.
In Wellington, Clemenger Wellington and FCB Wellington will rebrand as McCann Wellington, operating as part of McCann Group NZ. Local leadership for McCann Wellington will be announced shortly.
As part of Omnicom’s global creative reorganisation, the DDB, FCB and MullenLowe brands will retire globally and be folded, respectively, into TBWA and BBDO.
Meanwhile, Hearts & Science, Initiative, MediaHub, OMD, PHD and UM all remain as distinct client-first agencies.