IPG global comms head Tom Cunningham out following Omnicom restructuring

Interpublic Group global head of communications Tom Cunningham is exiting the holding company after over 20 years as a result of its acquisition by rival Omnicom Group. 

Cunningham confirmed he will not be moving forward with the company following the $9 billion deal’s closure last week. Yesterday was his last day with IPG. 

Omnicom revealed its restructuring plan for the newly combined holding company on Monday, which included 4,000 layoffs across the two companies. 

Omnicom global chief communications officer Joanne Trout will continue to oversee the combined group’s internal and external communications strategy moving forward. 

Trout declined to comment on Cunningham’s departure or wider corporate leadership appointments for the company. 

IPG chief client and business officer Jacki Kelley and CEO Philippe Krakowsky are continuing under the combined entity, according to Omnicom’s updated corporate leadership website page. Kelley is serving in the same role at Omnicom while Krakowsky has transitioned into the role of co-president and chief operating officer. 

“They’re welcoming some of the best comms people in the business and I’ll be rooting for them from the sidelines,” Cunningham said. “What I'm most proud of is uniting a community of comms leaders from across our network and creating this collaborative culture for all of IPG where I believe the comms talent served as key connectors between our agencies to make that collaborative culture real.” 

Omnicom’s takeover of IPG, creating the world’s largest marketing services holding company, closed last week nearly one year after the stock-for-stock deal was announced. The deal brings together IPG’s Specialised Communications & Experiential Solutions unit, housing most of the company’s PR firms, with Omnicom’s PR Group.

The agencies will now sit under a unified Omnicom PR, dropping “group” from their names, that will be led by CEO Chris Foster. The agencies previously within OPRG include FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, MMC and Porter Novelli.

Cunningham served as the primary spokesperson for IPG and its suite of agencies, including PR firms Dxtra Health and agency brands The Weber Shandwick Collective, Golin, Current Group and DeVries Global. 

Last month, IPG sunsetted R&CPMK, its entertainment PR firm, following a transition of most of the agency’s leaders, staff and clients to Acceleration Community of Companies. Approximately 25 former R&CPMK staffers are continuing under IPG’s Rogers & Cowan brand, serving clients across entertainment and sports. 

Weber Shandwick global CMO Anisha Ahluwalia and director of global communications Lauren Donovan’s roles remain unchanged following the acquisition, Ahluwalia and Donovan confirmed. Golin SVP and executive director of global marketing Brittany Sullivan’s role has also been unaffected, she said.

Cunningham joined IPG in 2003 as a director of communications and strategy. Throughout his tenure, he’s served in multiple roles at the company, most recently as SVP of global communications and corporate affairs.

In regards to his next move, Cunningham said he’s excited to help companies with their strategic communications plans as a consultant and adviser and has some creative projects he’s looking forward to.

“I've gotten to work with the best people,” he said of his nearly 23-year tenure at IPG. “We've had such great relationships and it's allowed me to have a lot of happiness in my career, which I'm very grateful for.”

While Omnicom’s restructuring is projected to bring the enlarged group’s total headcount to about 105,000, a reduction of about 18% compared to the 128,000 across Omnicom and IPG at the end of 2024, CEO John Wren said that PR should expect less upheaval as a result of the changes. 

Wren told PRWeek last week that management is “very happy with PR,” and that the holding company’s communications agencies “are going to probably have the least amount of disruption than most of the other bigger groups or crafts within the group.”

Omnicom PR reported third-quarter 2025 revenue of $377.2 million, a 7.5% decrease on an organic basis from the year prior. The PR agencies in IPG’s SC&E unit saw “low-single-digit growth” on an organic basis in Q3 of 2025. 

This story first appeared on PRWeek US.