Ogily

When it comes to leadership changes, 2016 will be remembered as a time of disruption.

- Chrisitine Birkner

While most will recall it as the year of Brexit and Trump, the ad business saw its own turbulent times, with no less than five top executives at major agencies being fired or resigning abruptly amid scandals.

In contrast, there is Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, whose smooth transition of power, coupled with a breadth of award-winning work, earns it Adweek’s Global Agency of the Year for 2016.

When the iconic WPP agency announced in January that Miles Young would step down as worldwide chairman and CEO—ending a 35-year run at the agency, eight as top exec—Ogilvy plotted a seamless, eight-month transition for his successor, John Seifert. A 37-year vet of Ogilvy who has led its North American business since 2009, Seifert officially became worldwide chairman and CEO in August. Now he’s leading the agency into a new era and building on what was a terrific year for the shop and its network.

This year, Ogilvy expanded its capabilities in social, content, customer engagement and digital media. Meanwhile, it won a slew of awards, including Cannes Lions Network of the Year and, at the Effie Awards, Most Effective Agency Network.

But it’s clear Ogilvy isn’t resting on its reputation. Much of its best work came from emerging creative offices like South America-based David and Stockholm’s Ingo, a Grey-Ogilvy partnership that created the massively successful “Swedish Number” campaign. Meanwhile, the network enjoyed strong performance and growth across Asia and Latin America.

PAVING THE WAY