How Initiative Is Consolidating Leadership Ahead of Omnicom Integration

Media agency Initiative has promoted Paige Wheaton to National Managing Director, consolidating oversight of the agency's Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth operations under a single national role as it transitions into the Omnicom network.

Wheaton Takes Unified Command Across Three Markets

Wheaton joined Initiative in early 2023 as Chief Investment & Partnerships Officer. In her new role, she will oversee national business performance and a standardized operating model across the agency. Market leads and managing partners from all three cities now report directly to her.

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Investment responsibilities previously held by Wheaton have been distributed across four market-level leaders: Daniela Rocchi and Tom Carlon in Sydney, Stephanie O'Donnell in Melbourne, and Brianna Wells in Perth.

CEO Jo McAlister described the move as both a cultural statement and a structural one. "Promoting from within is incredibly important to us at Initiative because it reflects the strength of our culture and the depth of talent across the business," McAlister said. She added that the restructuring "ensures we are better aligned nationally, closer to our clients and set up to deliver long-term client growth."

Wheaton said she was "incredibly proud to take on this role at such a pivotal time for both Initiative and our industry."

Omnicom Integration Drives the Structural Shift

McAlister linked the restructuring directly to Initiative's move into the Omnicom network, one of the world's largest advertising holding groups. The new national model is designed to use Omnicom's tools and capabilities while keeping the agency's hands-on client service approach intact.

The restructuring also extends to key client teams. Alongside the Wheaton promotion, Initiative rebuilt its dedicated team for IAG, one of Australia's largest insurance groups. Luke Carmichael joined as Managing Partner, and Elle Galipienzo, who has spent more than eight years at the agency, was promoted to Group Business Director. McAlister said the changes bring "even greater firepower to help IAG achieve its ambitious transformation agenda."

Industry Pressures Make Internal Promotions More Strategic

Initiative's restructuring comes as media agencies face significant workforce and commercial pressures. Industry projections indicate an 8% headcount reduction across agencies in 2025, accelerating to 15% in 2026 as AI automation replaces execution-level roles. Against that backdrop, promoting existing staff rather than hiring externally preserves institutional knowledge at a time when many agencies are reducing headcount.

The commercial environment is also shifting. By 2026, 33% of agency-managed media is projected to operate under principal buying models, where agencies buy and resell advertising inventory for a margin rather than acting as transparent agents on behalf of clients. Distributing investment responsibilities to local market teams, as Initiative has done, embeds those commercial decisions closer to individual client relationships.

Holding companies including Omnicom, Publicis, WPP, and dentsu are all moving toward more standardized, productized operating models. Initiative's restructuring aligns with that broader direction.

McAlister's Own Career Mirrors the Promotion Philosophy

McAlister spent more than five years at IPG Mediabrands before her CEO appointment, leading Rufus (Powered by Initiative) for Amazon and serving as Managing Director of Initiative Sydney from 2019. During that time she secured clients including Sanitarium, Pernod Ricard, Salesforce, and IAG.

The Wheaton promotion follows the same pattern: a specialist with deep commercial expertise, elevated to a broader national leadership role after building credibility within the same organization.

Initiative has not announced additional structural changes beyond those described in the promotion announcement.