OMD Australia has announced a new co-CEO structure with the internal promotion of Laura Nice and Sian Whitnall.
Nice has extensive experience across all major industry categories. She has a passion for client service excellence, people and mentoring future leaders.
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 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.”
Laura Nice (left) and Sian Whitnall
Laura Nice said: “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.”
Sian 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 appointment is effective immediately.