Valerie Madon exits McCann as agency restructures amid Omnicom-IPG merger

Valerie Madon has departed from her position as Chief Creative Officer for Asia Pacific and Singapore at McCann Worldgroup. Following her exit, creative leadership responsibilities will be fully integrated within the Singapore operational model under Daniel Kee, with additional support from Omnicom Advertising talent as needed.

Sean Donovan, President of Omnicom Advertising Asia, acknowledged Madon's contributions to the agency, noting that she served as an influential representative for both the agency and creative excellence throughout the region, helping to develop work, teams and organizational culture during a transformative period.

Reflecting on her tenure, Madon highlighted the value of human creativity in an increasingly AI-driven industry and expressed appreciation for the clients and teams she collaborated with during her time at McCann. She indicated enthusiasm about applying her creative expertise and brand-building experience to future endeavors.

Madon held the position of Chief Creative Officer for Singapore from March 2025 while simultaneously serving as Chief Creative Officer for APAC, a role she assumed in August 2023. She also took on the chief creative officer role for Southeast Asia in May 2023.

At McCann, Madon led APAC creative work for major accounts including Mastercard and Ferrero. Leveraging her background at Meta, she enhanced McCann Content Studios APAC by integrating data-driven insights with platform-specific creativity, resulting in social media-focused campaigns for brands such as L'Oréal Thailand and Chick-fil-A Singapore.

Among her initiatives at the agency was the launch of the Ambition Collective, an APAC program focused on training and promoting emerging creative talent. She also created Shape My Portfolio in 2024, a mentorship initiative that provided aspiring creatives with individual portfolio reviews conducted by industry professionals.

Before joining McCann, Madon worked at Meta as director of creative shop for Southeast Asia and emerging markets. Her earlier career included serving as chief creative officer for Asia at VMLY&R, where she also functioned as global creative lead for Zespri.

Madon's departure occurs as McCann and MullenLowe Singapore prepare to merge under the leadership of Paul Soon, who previously served as CEO of MullenLowe Singapore and will transition to CEO of McCann Singapore. Gonzalo Olivera, formerly managing partner of MullenLowe Singapore, will become president of the combined entity effective January 1.

This consolidation follows the Omnicom–IPG merger, which is streamlining operations across the combined organization and retiring several established agency brands, including DDB, FCB and MullenLowe. The networks are consolidating into three global creative networks: BBDO, McCann and TBWA.

According to an Omnicom Advertising spokesperson, the company's Asia leadership structure remains unaffected due to the complementary positioning of Omnicom Advertising and IPG creative agency brands. Additional appointments are expected to be announced in January.