‘Mediabrands’ and ‘Magna’ on the chopping block as Omnicom merger bites
Ros Allison
Omnicom is set to phase out the Mediabrands and Magna brands in Australia as it presses ahead with consolidation following its US$13-billion acquisition of IPG in November.
The move will retire the “Mediabrands” name in Australia, a brand originally developed under former CEO Henry Tajer, that covers both the centralised local operations — including services, finance, and HR — and serves as the parent entity for local agencies such as UM, Mediahub, Magna and Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS).
As a result of the latest shake-up, Magna innovation and product lead Ros Allison has been let go, becoming the most recent senior IPG executive to depart.
Mumbrella understands Omnicom is preparing to retire email addresses for Mediabrands and Magna staff, migrating them to OMC domains.
Magna, IPG’s global research and intelligence arm, lost its Australian managing director, Lucy Formosa, shortly after the deal closed. Around the same time, its annual global intelligence report was reportedly released internally under the Omnicom brand.
Mumbrella also understands that the remaining six employees in the Magna unit will be redeployed across the centralised holding company.
Allison, who joined Magna from IAG in 2019, was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.
However, in a Linkedin post announcing her departure yesterday, Allison described the move as “the end of an era”.
“Being part of the IPG Mediabrands and Magna Global team has been a genuine privilege,” she wrote.
“I’m so proud of the results we drove, the change we created and the capability we’ve built for the Omnicom future. Thanks to my powerhouse of a team and the incredible support of our agencies and partners.”
Looking to her next steps, Allison said she is “starting a postgrad in AI and is open to opportunities,” adding she is “keen to explore what my next chapter looks like in this industry I love.”
Omnicom was also contacted for further comment.
The holding company giant closed the landmark US$13 billion purchase of IPG Mediabrands in November last year.
Almost immediately after the closure, Mark Coad, CEO of IPG Mediabrands Australia, and APAC CEO Leigh Terry were let go.
Two months later, in early February, UM CEO Anathea Ruys was let go, with Omnicom appointing Essencemediacom managing director and former PHD executive Stephanie Douglas-Neal as her replacement.
IPG Mediabrands itself laid some of the early consolidation groundwork ahead of the deal’s closure, merging performance marketing agency Kinesso’s “Creators & Content” team into MBCS.
During the first nine months of 2025, IPG let go of around 3,200 people from its global operation, including 800 in the quarter before the expected deal closure.
Meanwhile, Omnicom spent US$1.1 billion (A$1.56 billion) in severance and “repositioning” costs in the immediate aftermath of closing the acquisition, having previously announced it would cut 4,000 jobs globally and brands including DDB, MullenLowe and Porter Novelli
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