Philippe Krakowsky is Chief Executive Officer of IPG, a role he assumed on January 1, 2021. He is also a member of IPG’s Board of Directors.
Prior to being named IPG’s CEO, Philippe was the company’s Chief Operating Officer, managing business operations across all of Interpublic, with direct oversight of IPG’s independent companies Acxiom, Carmichael Lynch, Deutsch, Hill Holliday, Huge, Kinesso, Matterkind and R/GA. During that time, Philippe was also Chairman of IPG Mediabrands. Over the course of his nearly two-decade tenure at IPG, Philippe has also led the strategy, talent, communications and business development functions for the holding company.
Before taking on the COO role at IPG, Philippe spent a number of years as CEO of Mediabrands, leading the 10,500-person unit that oversees marketing investment for many of the world’s most iconic brands. In that capacity, he strengthened the group’s leadership position in digital and data-driven marketing and increased its collaboration across the IPG network. Concurrently, he also served as IPG’s Chief Strategy and Talent Officer, roles he played for many years, overseeing key functions that have been vital to the company’s development and growth.
In 2018, Philippe was the key architect of IPG’s $2.3 billion acquisition of Acxiom, the data and solutions company that has developed one of the world’s most extensive consumer data assets, and is just as importantly known for its leadership in data privacy and data ethics.
Since joining us in 2002, Philippe has led and implemented major strategic actions that have been instrumental in IPG becoming an industry leader. These include the early decision to embed digital and emerging media capabilities across the group’s portfolio, as well as the creation of Mediabrands and IPG’s Healthcare Council. Additionally, Philippe has overseen IPG’s talent management, training and development, benefits and industry-leading D&I initiatives, as well as been responsible for designing many of the integrated, cross-agency client teams that have become a hallmark of Interpublic’s success. He has also served on the boards of several IPG companies, including Huge and the IPG-backed O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul, mentors startups as part of R/GA’s Ventures program, and was Interim CEO of FCB for much of 2013, during that agency’s leadership transition.
Prior to joining IPG, Philippe led the differentiation of Young & Rubicam in the marketplace during its transformation to a public company, and led the positioning for BBDO when that agency carved out a niche as one of advertising’s premier global creative networks. He began his career in advertising at Levine Huntley Schmidt and Beaver, a notable New York-based creative boutique agency.
Originally from Mexico, Philippe holds an A.B. from Harvard University. He started his business career in the technology industry, as part of the team that built and ultimately sold an artificial intelligence software company to Apple Computer in the late 1980s. He’s been inducted into the American Advertising Federation’s Hall of Achievement, the premier honor for marketing services professionals under age 40.
The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) is one of the "big four" global advertising holding companies (the others being Omnicom, WPP and Publicis). It is headquartered in New York City and is the parent company of advertising and marketing services agencies around the world.
The company consists of three major networks: McCann Worldgroup, Lowe and Partners, and FCB. Its media agencies are bundled under the IPG Mediabrands entity. It also owns a number of specialty agencies, including public relations, sports marketing, talent representation, and healthcare.[5]
Michael Roth is the current IPG Chief Executive Officer.[1]
