OMD’s Paul Payne to head strategy at Mediacom
Mediacom has replaced outgoing chief strategy officer Mat Baxter with OMD’s Paul Payne, who will join the agency in January.
Mediacom CEO Toby Jenner said: “I have been keen to ensure that the person who took on this role continues to add value to the product that we produce at MediaCom. I believe we can further improve through a more collaborative and integrated approach. Paul’s maturity and leadership will help make this more of a reality, ultimately improving the work we do for our clients.”
Payne added: “I’m delighted to have the opportunity of developing my career at MediaCom. They are one of the standout communications agencies in Australia and I look forward to helping them further cement this position. Probably my only concern was where I would be able to find shirt collars high enough to exceed Toby’s.”
Baxter quit Mediacom in August to become CEO of Universal McCann.
3.55pm update:
OMD issued a statement from joint MDs Leigh Terry and Peter Horgan saying: “For the last two years Paul’s position has been on a part-time basis, allowing him the latitude to focus on an outside academic study passion.
“Payney has been a very important part of OMD, its journey and success during his two stints here. Paul is not only a great talent, but one of the best blokes you’ll ever meet – he goes with our absolute blessing and best wishes.”
The agency has also promoted Jacquie Pierson to Sydney strategy director and Eb Yusuf, to Melbourne strategy director.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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OMD are in trouble
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OMD are losing people by the bucket load.
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Not as much as mediacom
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OMD has had the smell of something bad for a little while now.
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I wonder how long Payne will stick around at old school group m.
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@anon – how insightful! To comment that on a story about MediaCom hiring one of the best people in the industry…you idiot
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Typo…
“Mediacom has replaced outgoing chief strategy officer Mat Baxter with **Mediacom’s** Paul Payne”
Also loving how when it’s written by Tim it’s “Mediacom” but when it’s a quote from Toby or Paul they seem to correctly pronounce it “MediaCom”
OMD have also been hiring in some areas, no?
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Oops – now updated (and pedantry always welcome)
Spongebob, when did you move to Mediacom? I’ve been looking everywhere for you…
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“OMD are in trouble” – Really?
I thought it was a pretty fair assessment to say that they have won more awards, more business and have a more solid team than any other media agency in the last few years, maybe with the exception of PHD who have won a fair bit of late as well but are coming off a smaller base.
OMD have been in the ascendency for quite a while, and it looks a lot more like the WPP based agencies (including Mediacom) have been losing people and business at a fair rate of knots.
Payne is a loss for OMD, it is no doubt, but he’s only been back in Australia for a reasonably short time compared to the wins that OMD have had. I don’t think that ship is starting to sink just yet, no matter how much WPP agencies may wish
And no, I don’t work for OMD or any related company
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You are all wrong.. Carat is the biggest sinking ship at the moment- making redundancies like they are going out of fashion
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Agree with @ZZ top but you get that with a merger….bemused with comments above. Hiring high profile people has always been a valid way of papering over cracks. Mediacom has done nothing but buy a couple of pieces of business, after the big losses of 2009 (Westpac to OMD), and are now struggling to deliver by all accounts. Do the math and you will find they have still gone backwards. OMD have and continue to kick their arse in every way that matters. I’m just surprised PP bought into the BS….thought he was smarter….No, I don’t work at OMD or any media agency. Just over watching the amateur attempts to use this platform to push BS.
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Wow it is incredible how certain people are quick form a view on companies and people. Mediacom are a brilliant company to deal with and so is OMD. Oh and I don’t work for either of them but have done great business with both for over 20 years!
Now get back to work!
Rb
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