Kathleen Saxton is set to leave her role as chief marketing officer of Omnicom, marking the second high-profile departure from the global holding holding company in less than a week.
Saxton’s departure comes immediately on the heels of Alex Hesz’s departure from his chief strategy officer role less than a year after his accession, in order to focus on UK politics ahead of the general election.
“Sometimes in life, timing and ambition in the corporate world does not always align with our personal vision and so John and I have agreed, with pragmatism and grace, that I be released later next year to experience a new adventure,” Saxton said.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Having only been recruited just over a year ago herself, Saxton’s exit was ‘agreed’ with chief executive John Wren according to her statement. She will remain in her post until April next year.
That such two, high-profile exits occurred so closely together, and seemingly without any replacements in mind will no doubt raise questions as to the stability of the agency’s leadership structure.
