Interpublic Group of Cos. agency UM has appointed Sasha Savic global CEO, taking him back to the agency that started his advertising career in the Czech Republic in 1993.

“I started with them in Eastern Europe when I had a war in the country where I’m from, so I got a chance from them to rebuild my life,” said Savic, who was born in Bosnia. “For me, this is like coming back home.”

Savic most recently served as global chief innovation officer at WPP’s Mediacom after serving as U.S. CEO for the shop for nearly a decade. Mediacom has since merged with Essence to form EssenceMediacom, part of WPP’s media investment arm GroupM. EssenceMediacom is now the largest media agency network in the world.

In his new post, Savic takes on the role Eileen Kiernan vacated when she became global CEO of IPG Mediabrands in 2022. Based in New York, Savic will report directly to Kiernan.

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