Alex Lubar has been made global chief executive officer of DDB Worldwide. He succeeds Australian expat, Marty O’Halloran, who will continue as chairman.
Lubar (above left) was appointed president and chief operating officer of DDB Worldwide last October 2022, following ten years at McCann. At McCann, he had held several regional leadership roles including president, McCann North America, head of McCann’s Asia Pacific region, and chief executive officer of McCann London.
O’Halloran (above right) has been a leader within the DDB network for close to four decades and took over the role of Global chief executive officer in 2020. Under his leadership, DDB won 2023 Network of the Year at Cannes, Network of the Year for the past three years at D&AD, and Network of the Year at Effie US and Latina.
“It has been my honour to lead DDB over the past four years,” he stated. “The talent across our regions is incredible and together we’ve been able to produce work that has achieved transformative results for our clients and has been awarded as some of the best creativity in the world. As part of this orchestrated succession plan, there is no doubt in my mind Alex will continue to lead the DDB network to new heights. I look forward to working in a chairman’s capacity with Alex and Glen as they partner in leading the way forward with their global leadership team.”
Glen Lomas will move from his current position as chief executive officer, DDB EMEA, based in London, into the role of global president and chief operating officer in partnership with Lubar. Lomas’ international DDB experience includes chief executive officer of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, DDB’s largest region. Lubar has been at DDB since 1995.
“We are pleased to announce these changes as DDB has reclaimed its title of being one of the top creative agencies in the world, including 2023 Cannes Network of the Year,” stated John Wren, chairman and chief executive officer, Omnicom. “Marty’s dedication to DDB has made him an integral part of the network’s culture and operations, and we thank him for his strong leadership during the past four years as CEO. With extensive global leadership credentials within the industry, we are confident that Alex, supported by Glen, will continue to elevate the network and build upon its legacy of creative excellence.”
Kubar commented, “Since its inception, DDB has unlocked the power of human emotion to make millions of different people change how they behave, feel, and transact with brands and businesses around the world. We believe that creativity, in all its modern forms, has the power to profoundly transform our clients’ businesses. I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead Bill Bernbach’s legacy into the future with such a talented global staff and leadership team who all share the same vision.”
Lomas added, “It has always been a privilege to work at DDB and it is a great honour to take on this role. DDB has always been where brilliant, unpretentious people turn up each day to apply their creativity to solving problems. The problems and solutions change, but that culture doesn’t. I love what this network is capable of when it comes together, as demonstrated this year at Cannes, and Alex and I are here to ensure that spirit continues and the network keeps evolving to attract the most ambitious talent and clients.”
