OMNICOM MEDIA APPOINTS AGELICA HAO AS CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER IN CHINA

Omnicom Media has named Agelica Hao Chief Growth Officer in China, a newly created role to drive integrated growth powered by Omni, its AI-driven platform. Based in Shanghai, Hao brings over 20 years of experience across agencies and platforms, tasked with delivering measurable, scalable growth and innovation for clients.  

Omnicom Media (OM), part of Omnicom’s Connected Capability network, has appointed Agelica Hao to the newly created position of Chief Growth Officer in China, underscoring its ambition to accelerate growth in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. Hao, who will be based in Shanghai and report directly to China CEO Joey Zhao, is charged with shaping OM China’s growth strategy by harnessing the organisation’s data, strategy, and connected capabilities to build an integrated growth platform powered by Omni, Omnicom’s AI-driven marketing intelligence system.  

In her role, Hao will oversee teams across New Business Development, Performance Strategy, Content and Creative Solutions, Media Capabilities, and Corporate Communications. She will also collaborate closely with strategy, data, and agency brand teams to ensure growth is sustainable, measurable, and scalable. The appointment reflects Omnicom Media’s commitment to evolving beyond traditional media services and positioning itself as a partner capable of driving broader business transformation.  

Hao brings more than two decades of experience in media and marketing, spanning agencies, digital platforms, and research organisations. Her career includes senior roles at Alibaba Group, Publicis Groupe, and Kantar Millward Brown. Most recently at Publicis Groupe, she spearheaded the expansion of services beyond conventional media into data, technology, creativity, content, and CRM, delivering integrated solutions tailored to client needs. With expertise across diverse categories including beauty, FMCG, mother-and-baby products, healthcare, and automotive, she has successfully applied scalable growth models that encourage clients to move beyond category-specific thinking and uncover new opportunities.  

Joey Zhao, CEO of OM China, emphasised the strategic importance of Hao’s appointment: “As AI continues to transform the marketing landscape, clients are increasingly looking beyond media services for partners who can drive broader business growth. Agelica brings a rare combination of strategic vision, client leadership, and cross-functional integration expertise, with a proven ability to connect data, technology, and business objectives. Her appointment will further strengthen our ability to translate connected capabilities into tangible business outcomes, helping clients achieve more sustainable, high-quality growth in an increasingly dynamic marketplace.”  

Hao herself highlighted the transformative potential of her new role: “The marketing industry is entering a new era shaped by data and AI, and OM is uniquely positioned to lead with its differentiated strengths in technology, data, and talent. I look forward to working closely with our teams to unlock the full value of these capabilities, develop forward-looking and market-leading growth solutions, and deliver measurable business impact for our clients while fostering continuous innovation and long-term growth across the organisation.”  

Garth Farrar, EVP, Growth, added that Hao’s appointment reflects Omnicom Media’s Designed for Growth philosophy: “Across APAC, we are continuing to invest in the talent, technology and connected capabilities that enable us to create more client-centric growth solutions. With Agelica focused on supporting China as part of our growth organisation, we are strengthening our ability to deploy those capabilities in one of the region’s most dynamic and important markets, in a way that is modular, intelligent and tailored to each client’s ambition. It is exactly how we turn complexity into opportunity and deliver measurable growth for our clients.”