(MENAFN- PRovoke) NEW YORK-Five years after taking over as chief executive of Ketchum , Mike Doyle is stepping down at the end of July. With the search for a permanent replacement under way, Tamara Norman, named US CEO in September , and Jo-ann Robertson, president of global markets since May of 2022 , will continue to lead the US and global markets respectively, supported by James Peters, CFO and chief people officer.

Omnicom Public Relations Group chief executive Chris Foster shared the news of Doyle's departure with Ketchum employees this morning, telling them that“after careful consideration, it has been decided to take the agency's leadership in a new direction for its next chapter particularly given the impending IPG acquisition.” As a result, he said, Doyle will step down at the end of July.

“This decision is not a reflection of Mike's dedication, his nearly 30 years of service have left a legacy, and OPRG is deeply grateful for his contributions to Ketchum's clients, its employees, and the industrym” said Foster. Rather, he said, the decision“aligns with a broader strategy to position Ketchum for future growth and meet the evolving needs of its clients.

Added Doyle:“I've been fortunate to be a part of the extraordinary Ketchum community for nearly 30 of its 102 years and leading the firm as global CEO was my profound honor. I am immeasurably proud of the impact our work has had on the industry and society, and deeply grateful to my colleagues and clients for the chance to stand with them throughout.

“I leave with full confidence in the agency's future and the talented team guiding it forward.”

Speaking with PRovoke, Foster acknowledged that“the financial metrics have not been what we've wanted” over the past couple of years.

Omnicom PR Group-which includes FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and Porter Novelli-saw revenue increase by 3.7% in 2024, driven primarily by a robust fourth quarter, but there was a decline of 4 .5% in the first quarter of 2025 as economic and political uncertainty roiled the global PR market.

Foster said that OPRG would“begin a thoughtful search for new leadership at the appropriate time” and that the search will include both internal and external candidates. In the meantime, Norman and Robertson will lead the firm until a replacement is found, reporting to Foster.

“Leadership transitions are hard,” Foster acknowledged.“They can be emotional and complicated, but they're also really great moments to pivot and reimagine a pathway forward. I am looking for CEOs with a high emotional IQ, with a lot of agility and dexterity to be able to do a lot of different things. I need a leader has a foot in today but an eye in tomorrow.”

Asked whether the challenge for the new CEO will be an evolution of a transformation, Foster said:“I'm really impressed and been pleased with the leadership team and some of the work we do for clients, And I think that's job one. Ketchum is one of the most decorated agencies in the portfolio relative to the awards and their recognition for doing great creative work. We need to lean into that and reclaim that.

“But I do think, in addition to that, the market's changing, the world's changing. When you're a large global fulk service agency, you have to be good at a lot of different things. Corporate and public affairs is becoming a lot more critical to allow brands the license to operate. So having that depth and an integrated offering within Ketchum is going to be important.”

In addition, he said,“I think we have to reimagine how we bring technology and analytics into the work differently. And I think we have to think about how we incentivize, reward and support staff. If we take care of our staff, they'll take care of our clients.”

As for the future of the Ketchum brand as Omnicom prepares for its merger with Interpublic-which is parent to Weber Shandwick and Golin, Foster said:“I'm a big advocate of the brands. I think they're important. I think they're important to our clients nd to our people.

“I'm very bullish on Ketchum,” Foster added.“Ketchum I think is one of our strongest assets in the portfolio. I do think there's a tremendous amount of potential and with some structural changes and I think we'll get ourselves back to a really good trajectory on growth.”

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