OMD Names Laura Nice & Sian Whitnall As Co-CEOs To Replace Aimee Buchanan

OMD Australia has announced a new co-CEO structure with the internal promotion of Laura Nice (left in main photo) and Sian Whitnall (right). The move follows former CEO, Aimee Buchanan’s, shock move over to GroupM earlier this month.

OMD was named media agency of the year at last Friday’s B&T Awards.

OMD has long had a people strategy of developing and promoting staff from within. This joint appointment is testament to OMD’s commitment to offer its people growth opportunities and to the bench strength of the national leadership team. The co-CEO appointment offers continued stability to OMD’s people, clients and partners, in what has been a stellar year for OMD, with significant new business wins and key client retentions, alongside industry award recognition.

Nice’s career spans globally with extensive experience across all major industry categories. She has a passion for client service excellence, people and mentoring future leaders. Her commitment to OMD’s people is evident in her most recent initiative, OMD Heartlands, designed to reconnect OMDers with their loved ones around the globe as borders reopen.

Nice first joined OMD Australia in 2012 as a business director across the Telstra account. In 2014, Nice returned home to the UK where she took up the role of group head at Vizeum, followed by head of consultancy and development for Omnicom Media Group’s Annalect. Nice returned to Australia with her family in 2019 as OMD Sydney’s joint managing director.

Whitnall is a future facing product specialist whose international career has led to strong digital capability and expertise across many categories. She has a passion for developing products that deliver impactful business results for clients. Whitnall first joined OMD in 2013 as an interactive director, with her most recent role being OMD Australia’s Chief Digital Officer.

Her digital transformation initiative, OMD Navigate, has driven strong business results for OMD and their clients. Its success has led to OMD Navigate being adopted across Australia and New Zealand.

Nice and Whitnall will take overall responsibility for OMD assets nationally, leading a workforce of more than 600 people.

Peter Horgan, CEO, Omnicom Media Group ANZ, said of the co-CEO appointment: “Laura and Sian are both phenomenal leaders, proven performers and passionate OMDers. They have been fundamental to OMD’s ongoing growth and success over recent years and are embedded across all areas of the business. Together, their complementary skillsets and ability to work as a team, is exactly what OMD needs for the future of our business. OMD has a history of success with leadership partnerships and given the size and scale of OMD Australia, there is no better time to revisit this winning formula.”

Nice added: “As an ‘OMD Boomeranger’ I know firsthand the benefits of working for a culture as strong as OMD Australia’s. To be given the opportunity to lead the next chapter with Sian is a proud moment, as we strive to build on OMD’s current success and momentum. Personally, I’m excited to focus on the depth and breadth of our client relationships and identify growth opportunities for our people to further develop their capability and evolve our offering for the future.”

Whitnall added: “I feel so passionately about OMD so it’s an absolute privilege for Laura and myself to be given the opportunity to lead the agency. I am excited to continue working alongside OMD’s incredible talent, to grow the capability within the brand and to drive growth for our clients in areas that will have the most impact for their businesses.”

The appointments are effective immediately.

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Laura Nice OMD Peter Horgan Sian Whitnall