Omnicom Chairman and CEO John Wren has announced the elevation of Alex Lubar as Global CEO of DDB Worldwide.
Lubar succeeds current Global CEO Marty O’Halloran who will continue as Chairman. In addition, Glen Lomas, currently CEO, DDB EMEA, based in London, becomes Global President and Chief Operating Officer in partnership with Alex.
Wren said in a statement: “We are pleased to announce these changes as DDB has reclaimed its title of being one of the top creative agencies in the world, including 2023 Cannes Network of the Year. Marty’s dedication to DDB has made him an integral part of the network’s culture and operations, and we thank him for his strong leadership during the past four years as CEO. With extensive global leadership credentials within the industry, we are confident that Alex, supported by Glen, will continue to elevate the network and build upon its legacy of creative excellence.”
Lubar was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of DDB Worldwide in October 2022, following ten years at McCann. He held several regional leadership roles during the course of his time there including as President, McCann North America, head of McCann’s Asia Pacific region, and CEO of McCann London.
Lubar said, “Since its inception, DDB has unlocked the power of human emotion to make millions of different people change how they behave, feel, and transact with brands and businesses around the world. We believe that creativity, in all its modern forms, has the power to profoundly transform our clients’ businesses. I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Bill Bernbach’s legacy into the future with such a talented global staff and leadership team who all share the same vision.”
Lomas, who is based in London, has been with the DDB network since 1995 and has been CEO of EMEA, its largest region.
Said Lomas about his appointment: “It has always been a privilege to work at DDB and it is a great honour to take on this role. DDB has always been where brilliant, unpretentious people turn up each day to apply their creativity to solving problems. The problems and solutions change, but that culture doesn’t. I love what this network is capable of when it comes together, as demonstrated this year at Cannes, and Alex and I are here to ensure that spirit continues and the network keeps evolving to attract the most ambitious talent and clients.”
O’Halloran has been with DDB for close to four decades and took over as Global CEO in 2020.
Under his leadership, DDB won 2023 Network of the Year at Cannes, Network of the Year for the past three years at D&AD, and Network of the Year at Effie US and Latina.
O’Halloran said, “It has been my honour to lead DDB over the past four years. The talent across our regions is incredible and together we’ve been able to produce work that has achieved transformative results for our clients and has been awarded as some of the best creativity in the world. As part of this orchestrated succession plan, there is no doubt in my mind Alex will continue to lead the DDB network to new heights. I look forward to working in a Chairman’s capacity with Alex and Glen as they partner in leading the way forward with their global leadership team.”
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