‘They were fundamentally different cultures’: EssenceMediacom heads reflect on merger one year on

March 8, 2024 9:23

GroupM’s EssenceMediacom has hit one year in market as a merged supergroup, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Featuring on the latest instalment of Mumbrella’s one-on-one podcast series, GroupM ANZ’s CEO, Aimee Buchanan, EssenceMediacom ANZ’s CEO, Pippa Berlocher, and Sydney MD Stevie Douglas-Neal, reflected on the past 12 months, and what it’s like being part of a majority-female leadership team.

While it made sense strategically at a global level to merge Essence and Mediacom, as the agencies were already collaborating on a number of clients and were pitching together for new business wins, Buchanan said the merge was a “very different picture” locally.

(L-R): Aimee Buchanan, Pippa Berlocher, Stevie Douglas-Neal

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Lauren McNamara

Lauren McNamara is a freelance journalist. She previously spent three years at Mumbrella, most recently as the associate editor. She left her staff role in August 2025.