Omnicom’s takeover of Interpublic last week has pushed Chris Foster into one of the most influential roles in global communications. Already leading Omnicom Public Relations Group since 2021, he will now guide the combined PR operations of the newly merged holding company.
The move brings Interpublic’s flagship PR agencies — Weber Shandwick, Golin and Porter Novelli — into the same network as Omnicom’s FleishmanHillard and Ketchum. All of them will now operate under Foster’s leadership as the two groups come together.
A major part of his mandate is to bring the expanded roster onto Omni, Omnicom’s data and intelligence platform that will sit at the heart of the merged communications offering. His job spans aligning workflows, unifying capabilities and smoothing the transition for teams across both companies.
The consolidation is being viewed as one of the biggest structural resets in the communications industry in years. With clients placing heavier emphasis on measurable results, AI-driven insights and quicker campaign turnaround, Foster’s expanded remit arrives at a pivotal moment.
By stepping into this enlarged leadership role, Foster shifts from running Omnicom’s PR businesses to managing a far broader, cross-holding company network. The merger effectively reshapes the scale and configuration of global PR services, putting him at the centre of its next chapter.
