Dxtra agencies reporting to IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky after Polansky retirement

Interpublic Group is not planning to replace Andy Polansky as CEO of the IPG Dxtra network after his retirement last month. 

The leadership of Dxtra’s anchor brands, which include its PR agencies, will report directly to Interpublic Group CEO Philippe Krakowsky, said IPG SVP of global communications Tom Cunningham, via email.

IPG Dxtra includes PR firms such as Weber Shandwick, Golin, DeVries Global, Current Global and R&CPMK, as well as experiential firms Jack Morten and Momentum, sports and entertainment firm Octagon and Dxtra Health Integrated Solutions.

Polansky retired from his roles as Dxtra CEO and executive chairman of Weber Shandwick, where he was previously CEO, in June. 

“IPG Dxtra agencies are well-positioned and well-equipped for continued success thanks to Dxtra’s collaborative programs and under IPG’s open architecture model, where agencies from across the IPG portfolio partner on behalf of a client,” Cunningham said.

An example is Moderna naming an Interpublic Group cross-agency team from Dxtra Health Integrated Solutions as its global AOR. Staffers from Weber Shandwick, Golin and Jack Health are contributing to the Dxtra team, which is working on corporate communications and promotion of Moderna's mRNA technology.

In October 2020, IPG overhauled its Constituency Management Group operating unit and relaunched it as IPG Dxtra to offer clients a more integrated approach. 

IPG has a new financial reporting structure, which took effect in Q1. The company previously was composed of two units, Interactive Agency Networks and Dxtra, but it broke its agencies into three groups in Q1: Media Data and Engagement Solutions; Integrated Advertising and Creativity Led Solutions; and Specialized Communications and Experiential Solutions. Dxtra is a part of the third group. 

The PR firms in Interpublic Group’s Specialized Communications and Experiential Solutions segment registered high-single-digit growth on an organic basis in Q1, according to Polansky. That compared to low-single-digit growth in Q1 2021.

Altogether, the unit posted a 12.5% organic revenue increase in Q1 2022 to $336.3 million. The holding company overall reported net revenue of $2.2 billion, up 11.5% on an organic basis year-over-year, and net income of $159.4 million.