Edited on Jun 24, 2026.
Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) is the world’s largest marketing and communications holding company following its November 26, 2025 acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG). Headquartered in New York and led by Chairman and CEO John Wren, the combined company serves more than 5,000 clients across 100+ countries through a portfolio of advertising, public relations, digital, healthcare, and media agencies.
The PR portfolio sits inside Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG), led by CEO Chris Foster. As of February 10, 2026, OPRG operates with four cornerstone networks — Golin Ketchum, FleishmanHillard, Weber Shandwick, and MMC — plus a dedicated public affairs portfolio and several specialty PR brands retained from IPG.
At a glance
Overview
Omnicom Group was formed in 1986 through the merger of BBDO, DDB, and Needham Harper Worldwide. The company has grown through four decades of acquisitions across advertising, public relations, healthcare communications, digital, and media planning. The November 2025 IPG acquisition was the largest transaction in the holding company’s history — and the largest combination in the agency industry to date.
The IPG transaction was announced December 8, 2024 and approved by shareholders March 18, 2025. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal on June 23, 2025 with a consent order. Following final regulatory approvals in late 2025, the acquisition closed on November 26, 2025. Each share of IPG common stock was converted into 0.344 shares of Omnicom common stock. The combined platform has revenues of more than $25 billion and roughly 100,000 employees across 100+ countries — surpassing WPP for the global lead.
The Interpublic Acquisition (November 2025)
The IPG portfolio brought several major PR brands into Omnicom’s PR holding — including Weber Shandwick, Golin, R&CPMK, DeVries Global, Current Global, Carmichael Lynch Relate, and Jack Health. The combination immediately raised the question of how these brands would coexist with Omnicom’s legacy PR portfolio: FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli, MMC, Rabin Martin, Cone Communications, and the public affairs network.
Chris Foster was named CEO of the combined PR holding — Omnicom Public Relations Group (OPRG). Foster’s first major decision: a restructuring of the overlapping legacy and IPG PR brands. See Omnicom Swallowed IPG for the full deal analysis, and How Omnicom Built OPRG for the decade-long arc.
The February 10, 2026 Restructuring
On February 10, 2026, OPRG announced four restructuring moves.
1. Golin and Ketchum merged to form Golin Ketchum
Matt Neale, formerly Global CEO of Golin, was named CEO of the combined agency. Tamara Norman, formerly Ketchum U.S. CEO, was named Global President. Both brand identities are retained during the 2026 integration phase. The combined agency consolidates two of the oldest U.S. PR franchises — Ketchum (founded 1923, Pittsburgh) and Golin (founded 1956, Chicago). Golin’s 60+ year continuous relationship with McDonald’s — beginning in 1957 — is among the longest agency-client relationships in PR history.
2. Porter Novelli absorbed into FleishmanHillard
Porter Novelli became a dedicated brand under FleishmanHillard’s leadership. JJ Carter continued as Global CEO of the combined agency. Jillian Janaczek, formerly CEO of Porter Novelli, was named Americas CEO of FleishmanHillard. Cone Communications — which had operated under Porter Novelli since 2017 — moved with PN into the FH structure.
3. R&CPMK dissolved
Staff and clients were distributed across other OPRG brands. Certain entertainment specialty staff were absorbed by DKC, an independent PR firm outside the OPRG perimeter.
4. Several brands left unchanged
Weber Shandwick, MMC, and the public affairs network (DDC Public Affairs, GMMB, FP1 Strategies, Mercury Public Affairs, PLUS Communications, Portland Communications, VOX Global) continued operating without restructuring.
Sources: Axios (February 11, 2026); MARKETECH APAC (February 12, 2026); Omnicom Group SEC 8-K (November 26, 2025).
The Four Cornerstone Networks
Post-restructuring, OPRG operates with four cornerstone PR networks.
Golin Ketchum
Combined agency formed February 10, 2026. CEO Matt Neale; Global President Tamara Norman. Strongest practice areas: consumer brand communications, food and beverage, healthcare, technology, corporate communications, social and digital innovation, sports and entertainment.
Read the full profile: Golin Ketchum: PR Agency Profile.
FleishmanHillard
Founded 1946 in St. Louis by Alfred Fleishman and Bob Hillard. Acquired by Omnicom in 1997. Global CEO JJ Carter (succeeded John Saunders, October 2024). Americas CEO Jillian Janaczek (post-Porter Novelli absorption, February 2026). 79 offices across more than 30 countries.
Read the full profile: FleishmanHillard: PR Firm Profile.
Weber Shandwick
Came into Omnicom via the IPG acquisition. Originally formed in 2001 from the merger of The Weber Group and Shandwick International. One of the largest PR agencies in the world by revenue and headcount.
Read the full profile: Weber Shandwick: Company Profile. Analysis: Weber Shandwick After the Omnicom-IPG Merger.
MMC (Marina Maher Communications)
Founded 1983 by Marina Maher, CEO. Specialty: marketing and branding for women and products used by women. Joined Omnicom in 2012. Eight Effies and over 60 industry awards. Not impacted by the February 2026 restructuring.
Public Affairs Portfolio
The OPRG public affairs network operates separately from the cornerstone networks and was unchanged by the February 2026 restructuring:
- DDC Public Affairs — grassroots and grassroots digital
- GMMB — issue advocacy, political communications
- FP1 Strategies — Republican-leaning political communications
- Mercury Public Affairs — bipartisan government affairs
- PLUS Communications — strategic communications and public affairs
- Portland Communications — UK-headquartered international public affairs
- VOX Global — issues management and public affairs
Specialty and Retained Brands
Beyond the cornerstone networks, OPRG includes several specialty PR brands.
Rabin Martin
Global health strategy firm. Joined Omnicom in May 2016. Notable work includes Merck for Mothers.
DeVries Global
Founded 1976. Beauty, fashion, wellness, food. Arrived via the IPG acquisition.
Current Global
Founded 1989 as Current Marketing. Consumer brands, healthcare, social impact. Arrived via the IPG acquisition.
Jack Health
Founded 2017. Healthcare communications. Arrived via the IPG acquisition.
Cone Communications
Boston-headquartered. Corporate responsibility, purpose, and brand reputation. Now operating inside FleishmanHillard following Porter Novelli’s February 2026 absorption.
Brodeur Partners
Founded 1985. B2B technology, healthcare, and corporate reputation. Omnicom retains equity stake post-2011 management buyback.
Publicis Groupe — the Other Side of the Holding-Company Map
Omnicom does not stand alone at the top. Publicis Groupe — Paris-headquartered, the world’s third-largest communications group — runs the other major global network. Its PR arm is MSL (formerly MSLGROUP), operating alongside Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Zenith, and Publicis Worldwide. Led by Arthur Sadoun.
The proposed 2013 Publicis-Omnicom merger would have collapsed both groups into a single $35-billion-plus holding company. The deal was abandoned in 2014. A decade later, Omnicom answered it with the IPG acquisition instead.
Leadership and Compensation
- John Wren — Chairman and CEO, Omnicom Group. 2025 total compensation: $69,865,846. Base salary reset to $1 through December 2028.
- Chris Foster — CEO, Omnicom Public Relations Group
- JJ Carter — Global CEO, FleishmanHillard
- Matt Neale — CEO, Golin Ketchum
- Tamara Norman — Global President, Golin Ketchum
- Jillian Janaczek — Americas CEO, FleishmanHillard
Why It Matters in the Category
Omnicom’s acquisition of IPG created the largest marketing and communications holding company in the world — surpassing WPP. The PR portfolio inside OPRG now competes with WPP’s Burson and Publicis Groupe’s MSL across the global enterprise PR category. The full documentation of the six-to-three holding company consolidation is at The PR Agency Consolidation Study 2026.
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