Omnicom Group has confirmed it is withdrawing from Russia amid the ongoing crisis Ukraine.
The American global media, marketing and corporate communications company is working with local partners to dispose of all of its investment positions.
In a statement, Omnicom Group said it has been planning an orderly process to ensure continuity of services for clients and to provide a future for its Russian colleagues, some of who have been with the company for decades, with details to be finalised soon.
“As the violence and humanitarian crisis continues in Ukraine, Omnicom’s number one priority remains the safety and well-being of its more than 200 colleagues and their families there.
“It is in constant contact with its Ukrainian agency leaders and is supporting its people with much needed humanitarian assistance, including transportation, accommodations, visa and working papers, translation services, relocation support, supplies and medical support.
“Omnicom continues to keep its affected colleagues in its thoughts and hopes for peace,” the statement concluded.
This comes as both Publicis Groupe and IPG also announced their plans for their respective companies in Russia amid the crisis in Ukraine.
French-owned Publicis Groupe has strongly condemned Russia’s aggression and in response stopped all operations and investment in the country in a statement made by Arthur Sadoun, chairman of the management board of Publicis Groupe.
The multinational agency has handed over control of its agencies – such as Zenith and Leo Burnett – to Sergey Koptev, the founding chairman of Publicis in Russia under a contractual commitment of “ensuring a future” for its 1,200 employees in the country.
Meanwhile, IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky announced the company’s decision to suspend operations in Russia via a post on LinkedIn.
He wrote: “Because we have never owned a media business in Russia, we did not have significant concerns that our media buying was either fueling the local economy, or funding media being used by the state. Essentially, we hoped that by supporting our colleagues in Russia we could live up to the part of our DNA that values and seeks to protect our people across IPG, yet also live up to the international sanctions against the Russian regime,” noting elsewhere they have approximately 200 Russian staffers.
“By having taken the time these past two weeks to plan for this eventuality, we will be able to leave our Russian teams with enough capital on their balance sheet to pay their people for a minimum of six months.”
Krakowsky continued: “We will also be engaging with them in the coming weeks, as we cede control of all aspects of management and operations to the local leadership team, in order to ensure continuity for any non-Russian clients who remain active in the market.
“What we are witnessing in Ukraine is a tragic situation with profound consequences for our collective future. It will re-shape the international order globally, with lasting consequences for Europe, and have a ripple effect on political alignments all the way to Asia.”
Read more: Publicis Groupe and IPG suspend business in Russia amid war in Ukraine