Mumbai: McCann chairman Daryl Lee is set to leave the agency next week, becoming the latest senior executive to exit following Omnicom’s integration of Interpublic Group (IPG), according to an Adweek report.
Lee’s departure comes as Omnicom continues to reshape its global leadership structure after completing one of the advertising industry’s largest mergers. The company has been consolidating agency networks, streamlining management teams, and reorganising operations across its creative and media businesses.
A long-serving McCann executive, Lee was appointed chairman in December after the Omnicom-IPG merger was completed. Prior to that, he served as Global Chief Executive Officer of McCann Worldgroup for more than three years.
Lee has spent nearly two decades within the IPG ecosystem since joining the company in 2006 as Global President and Head of Global Strategy. During his tenure, he held several senior leadership roles, including Global CEO of McCann Erickson, Global CEO of Universal McCann (UM), and Global CEO of IPG Mediabrands, before returning to lead McCann Worldgroup in 2022.
Following the merger, Omnicom reorganised its creative operations into three primary agency networks, retiring legacy creative brands such as DDB, FCB, and MullenLowe as standalone global networks. As part of the restructuring, former FCB Global CEO Tyler Turnbull was appointed Chief Executive Officer of McCann, while Lee transitioned into the chairman role.
Lee’s exit adds to a series of high-profile leadership changes across the combined organisation. Shortly after the merger closed, IPG Mediabrands Global CEO Eileen Kiernan stepped down, with Omnicom Media Group CEO Florian Adamski taking charge of the integrated media business. McCann Worldgroup Chief Marketing Officer Lynn Lewis also departed to join independent agency Known as Chief Client Officer.
More recently, Javier Campopiano, who had assumed a global creative leadership position within Omnicom Advertising Group after serving as McCann’s Chief Creative Officer, left to join Publicis Groupe. On the Omnicom side, OMD U.S. CEO Chrissie Hanson moved to Dentsu Media North America, while Flywheel and OmniPlus CEO Duncan Painter also exited the company.
The leadership changes have been accompanied by broader organisational restructuring. Following the completion of the acquisition, Omnicom reportedly eliminated approximately 4,000 positions as part of its integration and cost-synergy initiatives.
Lee’s departure underscores the continuing transformation underway at Omnicom as the advertising holding company works to integrate IPG’s operations, simplify its agency structure, and position the combined business for its next phase of growth.
