Grey’s global CEO Laura Maness departs

Grey’s global CEO, Laura Maness, is exiting the agency after three years at the helm, Campaign Asia-Pacific can exclusively confirm. The news was delivered by Maness herself during a global town hall in New York this morning.

In her address, Maness said: “We are a connected family of free-spirited, creative-minded leaders, with soul. And the next chapter of Grey starts today. I am passing the baton to a world-class team of colleagues and friends and looking forward to my new challenge.”

The town hall was followed up with an internal note from Laurent Ezekiel, newly appointed global CEO of the Ogilvy Group.

Ezekiel praised Maness for “navigating Grey through a period of change, simplifying and fortifying its global offerings, and attracting strong new senior leaders across markets,” while also strengthening the agency’s creative output and culture.

Grey will not appoint a new global CEO. Instead, the agency is shifting to a co-leadership model.
Gabriel Schmitt, global chief creative officer, and Jason Kahner, global chief client officer, will jointly lead Grey.

Kahner is a 20-year Grey veteran, who will focus on global client relationships, while Schmitt will partner with him to ensure the agency delivers “Famously Effective” creative for clients everywhere. The duo will work closely with Jonathan Lee, global chief strategy officer, to create what is referred to as a “trifecta” of leadership across creative, strategy and client functions.

Market structure remains the same, Agnes Fischer continues to lead in New York, Conrad Persons in London, and Sarah Trombetta in APAC. Ezekiel emphasised that Grey’s future strength lies in its collective leadership and global-local integration.

The exit comes amid ongoing structural shifts at WPP. In May 2025, Grey’s reporting line was moved from AKQA to Ogilvy, with the agency operating as a standalone brand under Ogilvy’s umbrella.

Ezekiel thanked the employees for their “resilience and remarkable dedication,” and closed the message with the underlining his belief that the new model will ensure Grey remains a benchmark for creativity and effectiveness

Prior to her stint at Grey, Maness was the CEO of Havas New York. Earlier roles included US chief growth officer at Havas Worldwide, MD of Havas Chicago, and head of growth at FCB San Francisco.