Matt McNally is rejoining Publicis. The ad exec has taken the global CEO post at Publicis Health, returning to a company where he spent 14 years prior to a recent detour that took in the top job at Omnicom Health Group.
McNally worked at Paris-based advertising giant Publicis from 2004 to 2018. Over those years, McNally helped create and launch Publicis Health Media and worked with the ad agency’s largest pharma clients. The exec’s time away from Publicis included stints in senior roles at Outcome Health, Dentsu Health and Omnicom Health Group.
Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe, discussed what the team has been up to in McNally’s absence.
“At a time when the health and pharmaceutical sectors are undergoing profound change, driven by technological revolutions, new patient needs, and regulations, we’ve been busy building the industry’s most innovative health vertical,” Sadoun said in a statement.
Stephen Farquhar, the CEO of Publicis Health U.S., has played a role in that push and will now work with McNally to build on the efforts. McNally highlighted Publicis Health’s data, connected media ecosystem, technology and pharma expertise as assets that will underpin his work.
Before announcing his departure from Omnicom last month, McNally looked to be a potential candidate to run the $3.7 billion pharma and health division that the company is set to create through its merger with Interpublic Group. Instead, McNally has left for Publicis, the firm that Omnicom will replace as the world’s biggest agency if the deal goes through. Geoff Calabrese also left Omnicom for Publicis this week.