New York, NY (June 16, 2026) – Omnicom Media, an Omnicom (NYSE: OMC) Connected Capability, today announced new leadership for one of its portfolio agency brands, naming Susanne Grundman Global Brand President of Initiative and Rob DiGiovanni US CEO.
The appointments land as Stacy DeRiso moves to the newly created role of General Manager US, Omnicom Media, after holding the dual title of Global Brand President/U.S. CEO of Initiative – capping her tenure with a 2025 new business performance that saw the OM agency earn the industry’s highest retention rate while also adding more than $1 billion in incremental billings.
A Shared Commitment to Organizational Evolution
Grundmann moves to Initiative following a successful tenure as CEO of PHD EMEA, driving growth and transformation for PHD’s largest region by billings. She previously served as Global Chief Client Officer for Omnicom Media’s VW Group business, playing a key role in the successful year-long review to retain the business in 2024; and as CEO of OMD Germany, where she led an expansion in capabilities that made the agency a digital leader in the market, brought in 24 new clients, and reduced its churn rate to 0.2%.
DiGiovanni steps into the US CEO chair after four years as President, Global Business Lead at Initiative, overseeing several of the agency’s biggest accounts, and recently played a key role in expanding the agency’s relationship with IBM in EMEA into a global media agency of record remit. With experience across both creative and media agencies – including leadership roles at Ogilvy, GroupM, and PHD – Rob has helped shape marketing strategies for many of the world’s most iconic brands.
“Susanne and Rob are exceptional leaders who combine strong client instincts with a keen understanding of how media organizations need to evolve,” said Florian Adamski. “Susanne has demonstrated an ability to drive transformation, elevate product quality, and build high-performing teams across complex international markets. Rob has repeatedly shown he can scale client relationships, inspire teams, and deliver work that creates measurable business impact. Together, they are well-positioned to build on the momentum and foundation Stacy established at Initiative.”
A New Addition to the Omnicom Media North America Leadership Team
Taking on a new challenge as US General Manager, DeRiso will oversee a number of core capabilities and services in the US, connecting media, data, technology, commerce, and outcomes in simpler, smarter, and more integrated ways. Reporting directly to North America CEO Ralph Pardo,
During her tenure leading Initiative, DeRiso oversaw the global rollout of the agency’s Fame & Flow operating model, which has become a cornerstone of the agency’s approach to delivering business-driving media solutions. She also operationalized a sustained focus on agency culture, talent development, and organizational integration.
“Stacy has been instrumental in building Initiative into one of the industry’s strongest client and culture stories,” said Pardo. “Her leadership has driven meaningful growth across the business while creating deeper integration between the agency and group-level capabilities and resources. As Omnicom Media North America’s offer continues to evolve, Stacy will play a critical role in ensuring we have the right structure, capability, and operational alignment to support that expansion.”
The leadership changes – all effective immediately – come amid a sustained period of growth for Omnicom Media agencies globally. Since the start of the year, the group has secured major account wins, including Delta, Dyson, IBM, Xiaomi, SkyShowtime, Raymour & Flanigan, and Mark Anthony Beverages, representing more than $2 billion in billings awarded year-to-date.
Omnicom Media is currently the best performing global media group for new business in 2026 year-to-date, topping the COMvergence real-time dashboard for net new business (wins minus losses, excluding retentions) with $1.35 billion in billings awarded.
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