Omnicom Group promotes Aussie expat Troy Ruhanen as TBWA Worldwide president + CEO

Omnicom Group president and CEO John Wren has announced the appointment of Aussie expat Troy Ruhanen as president and CEO of TBWA Worldwide.

Ruhanen – who was managing director of Leo Burnett, Sydney from 2000 to 2003 (there when Leo’s was named CB’s 2000 Agency of the Year) – succeeds Tom Carroll who will continue as chairman of TBWA Group. Jean-Marie Dru will continue to serve as chairman, TBWA Agency Network.

Says Wren: “Under the leadership of Tom Carroll, TBWA is recognized worldwide for its strong culture and award-winning creativity. At Omnicom, we place considerable emphasis on succession planning, and Tom and I have long agreed that Troy Ruhanen would be the right person to take the helm of TBWA. His experience in leading Omnicom agencies across geographies and categories makes this a seamless leadership transition that will build upon TBWA’s capabilities and reputation as one of the best in the business.”

Ruhanen joins TBWA from parent company, Omnicom Group, where he was responsible for driving cross-agency collaboration for Omnicom’s largest clients. Prior to this, Ruhanen held multiple senior management positions at Omnicom Group agencies, including chairman and CEO, the Americas, BBDO Worldwide. In that role, he managed BBDO’s operations in North and South America including the Proximity direct, digital and CRM agency network. Previous posts at BBDO include deputy chairman, North America and managing director, New York.

Says Ruhanen: “The opportunity to lead TBWA is a great honor because of the deep rooted creative culture and its unique strategic method in Disruption. The willingness to break from convention and the expectation for fresh thinking creates an environment for bolder and more innovative platforms. This attracts talent, unlike others, and produces work that creates a competitive advantage.”

Says Carroll: “I love this network and I’m very proud of what we’ve become and more importantly where we are going. Troy and I have worked closely across a number of initiatives this past year and he’s the perfect person to take us to the next level.”