PHD shakes up CEO post in US

PHD's U.S. CEO Catherine Sullivan is stepping down and will be replaced by the Omnicom agency’s U.S. Chief Operating Officer Mike Solomon.

Sullivan took on the position in 2020 after serving as chief investment officer for Omnicom Media Group North America. Prior to joining Omnicom, she was a senior VP of news sales at ABC.

Sullivan is departing to return to the “sales side of the business,” according to a statement by Omnicom, although her new position was not disclosed.

“Catherine led the evolution of PHD USA’s model and talent during an unprecedented time of disruption within the industry, with unwavering commitment to delivering better business outcomes for our clients,” OMG North America CEO Ralph Pardo said in a statement. “We are grateful for her many contributions to the company and look forward to watching her continued success in our industry.”

Sullivan will stay in her role through the end of May and Solomon will assume the role on June 1. Solomon joined PHD in 2020 following 16 years with sibling agency OMD, where he worked with brands such as Bacardi and Clorox. 

Solomon also helped found and lead OMG’s Black Leadership Network, which is focused on creating diversity and inclusion and multicultural initiatives internally for talent as well as clients. The group also advocates for more inclusive investment strategies to increase diverse-owned media’s share of advertising spend. He currently acts as the network’s senior advisor.

“Mike’s record of leading iconic brands through transformation agendas, building talented teams and never straying too far from the work, will assure PHD USA continues to be a valuable and trusted strategic partner to our clients,” PHD Worldwide CEO Philippa Brown said in a statement.

PHD is coming off a strong year. In 2022, the agency picked up $656 million in incremental billings, according to COMvergence. This includes wins such as Restaurant Brands International’s Burger King, Popeyes and Tim Hortons.