Omnicom PR Hit by Senior Exodus After Fleishmanhillard Merger

Omnicom's Australian PR operations have been hit by a wave of senior departures following last year's merger with Fleishmanhillard. At least four former Porter Novelli leaders have left, including managing partner Laura Hill and director of communications Victoria Fruean, who have moved to Aware Super and law firm Allens respectively.

The exits include head of media relations Madeleine Hanley, who exited last month to lead PR at MG Motors, as well as cyber client lead Lauren Clancy, who departed earlier this year to join the Reserve Bank of Australia. Sources pointed to a culture clash following the merger into Fleishmanhillard, which sits within Omnicom's PR 'earned centre of excellence', as a factor behind the departures.

The centre of excellence is led by Roberto Pace and also includes brand Eleven PR. This follows the exit of Porter Novelli's three most senior leaders, CEO Rhys Ryan, chief operating officer Arj Ganeshalingam, and managing partner Patrick McClelland, who went on to launch independent consultancy MGR&Co.