Jacquelyn Baker named CEO of Omnicom Commerce Group

Omnicom Commerce Group (OCG) has named Jacquelyn Baker as CEO, following current CEO Sophie Daranyi’s decision to step down. 

Baker joins from VMLY&R Commerce, where she has been chief experience officer for the last year. She starts in August and will report to Michael Larson, CEO of the DAS group of Companies at Omnicom. 

Daranyi is exiting after five years in the role to pursue consulting and nonprofit opportunities and spend more time in the U.K., where she is based. She helped recruit Baker and will oversee the transition.

Baker is based in the U.S., shifting leadership of OCG to the region where most of its clients are based and where most of the innovation is happening in the commerce space, according to an Omnicom spokesperson. 

A six-year veteran of VMLY&R, Baker was a managing director of client engagement at the agency prior to taking on the chief experience officer role. Before that, she was at digital agency Rockfish for six years. She was named Account Person of the Year by Campaign US in 2022.

According to an Omnicom press release, Baker was “instrumental in driving commerce integration across the network following its 2021 merger with Geometry Global.”

"I am humbled, honored and thrilled to be joining the Omnicom Commerce Group family to lead this talented collective of industry-defining agencies and capabilities into the future of commerce for our clients,” Baker said in a press release. “I look forward to building upon the incredible foundation and vision set forth by Sophie."

Daranyi drove the business strategy and the creation of Omnicom Commerce Group in 2021. She also pioneered Omni Commerce, an ecosystem within Omnicom’s data platform, Omni, that houses data, tools and partnerships in the commerce space. She was also behind the launch of Transact, a connected commerce and e-commerce consulting practice.   

She is a longtime Omnicom veteran, having joined in 2015, after selling creative and shopper agency Haygarth, where she was CEO, to the holding company. She also served as president of RAPP UK, where she oversaw Haygarth, RAPP and Code Worldwide before forming OCG.

“While I’ve relished my time at Omnicom and will miss the people and our clients, I feel it’s

the right time to change direction,” Daranyi said in a statement. “Jacquelyn will be an outstanding leader for OCG and brings the right expertise and fresh perspective to drive OCG’s future growth.”

Commerce is a growing focus area for holding companies as consumer shopping habits change and media dollars continue to shift to e-retailers. According to Insider Intelligence, retail media spend is projected to surpass $45 billion in 2023.