Omnicom Oceania Appoints Hamilton, Prettyman in Second Leadership Wave

Omnicom Oceania has appointed Kim Hamilton as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and Paige Prettyman as Chief of Staff, the company announced on April 9, 2026. The moves represent the second phase of a deliberate leadership construction strategy since the regional entity was formally established in July 2025.

Two Roles, Two Distinct Mandates

Hamilton has been promoted from Chief Marketing Officer of Omnicom Media Australia into a broader regional role. She will lead enterprise brand, profile, and communications for Omnicom Oceania while continuing her responsibilities within Omnicom Media. Hamilton previously built Omnicom Media Australia's first centralized marketing and growth function, following 11 years at OMD Sydney.

Prettyman joins from Deloitte Digital, where she served as Managing Director. Her newly created Chief of Staff role is designed to support executive alignment and delivery across the business. She brings previous experience from Special Group Melbourne and Clemenger BBDO.

Nick Garrett, CEO of Omnicom Oceania, said the appointments reflect the company's own internal practice. "We talk a lot about helping our clients navigate transformation and elevating the role of marketing at an executive level. What's important is that we're doing the same ourselves," Garrett said.

A Phased Approach to Regional Leadership

Omnicom Oceania was formally established on July 22, 2025, with Garrett appointed as CEO reporting directly to Omnicom Group CEO John Wren. At formation, five executives were named to cover customer experience, creative, and operations. The April 2026 additions of Hamilton and Prettyman complete a second wave focused on marketing communications and internal coordination.

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The regional entity now includes at least seven named executive roles spanning client, operational, creative, and communications functions. Omnicom Media Group Australia holds the leading position in media billing in Australia per RECMA and COMvergence rankings, providing the commercial backdrop for Hamilton's expanded regional mandate.

Prettyman described the opportunity as bringing together creativity, media, and advisory services in a connected way. "What's really compelling about Omnicom Oceania is the opportunity to bring together creativity, media and advisory in a genuinely connected way and the impact that can have for clients," she said.

Global Restructure Provides the Architecture

The appointments sit within Omnicom Group's broader reorganization, effective January 1, 2026. The network restructured into seven global divisions, with APAC creative led by Sean Donovan as President of Omnicom Advertising Asia, overseeing BBDO, TBWA, and McCann. APAC media is led by Tony Harradine as CEO of Omnicom Media Group APAC, managing six media agency brands including OMD and PHD.

Omnicom Oceania reports directly to global CEO John Wren, bypassing intermediate holding company layers. The full buyout of the Clemenger Group, completed as part of Omnicom Oceania's formation, brought previously semi-independent agency brands under unified ownership and created an immediate need for enterprise-level coordination. Omnicom Oceania's portfolio includes dedicated client models such as +61 for Telstra and Smith Street for Coles, adding further operational complexity.

Sequenced Build-Out Confirms Longer-Term Strategy

The sequencing of appointments follows a clear pattern: operational and creative leadership first in July 2025, then marketing and coordination infrastructure in April 2026. Omnicom Oceania's client roster includes Singapore Airlines, ANZ Bank, and AFL, requiring leadership capable of operating across regulated and consumer-facing categories simultaneously.

Parallel country-level appointments across APAC, including named leaders in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan, confirm that Omnicom is executing a region-wide leadership build-out rather than a response isolated to Oceania.