Mainardo de Nardis is Global President and COO of Edelman, where he drives global strategy, client growth and operational excellence across the firm’s worldwide network.
He brings decades of leadership in media and communications, having held senior roles at some of the industry’s most influential organizations out of New York, London and Milan. Previously, he served as Executive Vice Chairman of Omnicom Media Group, CEO of OMD Worldwide, Global CEO of Aegis Media, and CEO of MEC at WPP, where he was also on the founding board of GroupM.
During his long tenure at OMD, the largest media agency in the world, he oversaw the agency’s expansion into a +$20B enterprise serving clients such as Apple, Google, McDonald’s, Nissan, PepsiCo, and Uber. Under his leadership, OMD was named Global Media Agency of the Year multiple times by Ad Age and Adweek, and ranked the world’s most creative and effective media agency for 11 consecutive years by the Gunn Report. In 2017, OMD became the inaugural winner of the Global Media Network of the Year honour at Cannes Lions.
Until 2018, as Executive Vice Chairman of Omnicom Media Group, he focused on driving growth, corporate development, and key client partnerships. Since leaving Omnicom, Mainardo has served as Chairman, Board Director, Senior Advisor, and Investor, particularly in the AdTech sector with companies such as LoopMe, Vidmob, ARM and Equativ. He is also a key investor in Fiol, voted many times as the best prosecco in the USA.
A trusted partner to leading global brands, Mainardo is recognized for his expertise in driving business outcomes at a global level amid industry transformation. He is also a frequent keynote speaker and industry voice, having chaired juries such as the Cannes Media Lions and served on boards and advisory councils including Twitter, the IAB, and the Ad Council.