This week’s agency news, executive moves, and account changes

Each week, Marketing Brew recaps the agency world’s biggest leadership changes, account wins and losses, reviews, acquisitions, and more.

Hires and departures

GroupM North America CEO Kirk McDonald is leaving the company at the end of the year. Adam Gerhart, Mindshare’s global CEO, will step in as interim CEO while GroupM finds McDonald’s replacement.

Dentsu tapped William Swayne to lead its global media practice as part of an ongoing restructuring the agency announced earlier this year. Swayne was previously Dentsu’s chief client officer of media.

WPP appointed Lindsay Pattison as its global chief people officer. It’s an internal hire; Pattison was already the company’s global chief client officer.

Account wins, losses, and reviews

Amtrak tapped Mekanism as its creative and strategy agency. VMLY&R (which has since merged with Wunderman Thompson) held the account since 2018.

Financial services company Confused.com chose Leo Burnett as its creative AOR, replacing Accenture Song.

Mattel put Barbie’s creative account in review. Previously the brand has worked with BBDO, BBH, R/GA, and Deutsch.

New divisions, offices, acquisitions, etc.

Omnicom is shelling out roughly $835 million for e-commerce shop Flywheel Digital. It’s the holding company’s largest acquisition ever.

Stagwell bought social media marketing firm Movers+Shakers, which has worked with clients like e.l.f. Beauty, Netflix, and Neutrogena.

TBA Worldwide bought influencer marketing shop Joybyte. Last year, the agency acquired marketing shops Eight Oh Two and Cineloco.