Perhaps because he came from the account and strategic sides of the advertising industry, Matt Seiler has been bucking existing trends in the media agency business since the day he joined UM in 2008 as Global CEO. Matt delivers differing perspectives on the media world and consistently challenges the conventions and norms throughout this business and the role it holds in the global economy. In joining IPG Mediabrands, Matt brought the experience of managing clients and running strategy to a discipline that he felt could benefit from that, especially as related to creating stronger bonds between media owners and their agencies for the benefit of great content.
In January of 2011, Matt was named Global CEO of IPG Mediabrands and moved agency-client relationships to a pay-for-performance model linking compensation directly to client growth. A significant portion of IPG Mediabrands’ contracts were built with P4P, allowing it to drive the industry forward with initiatives such as the US goal of automating 50% of all media transactions by the end of 2015, with other markets following closely behind. Passionate about media owner connections, Matt added a robust global publishing capability to the group’s content expertise. For these and other achievements, including significant growth and the attraction of some of the world’s best and most diverse talent, IPG Mediabrands was named Global Media Holding Company by MediaPost in 2013 and 2014.
Matt became Chairman in May 2015. The dynamic media and marketing group containing UM, Initiative, BPN and fourteen specialized agencies, employs 8,500 communications specialists operating in more than 130 countries and manages $37B in global media billings, making IPG Mediabrands a key contributor to holding company IPG’s success in recent years.
Matt has a legacy of change leadership. As Global CEO of UM, he redefined the scope of media services to encompass all forms of marketing communications and bridging the gap that existed between media and creative agencies. Mediaweek named Matt “Executive of the Year” in 2009.
Prior to UM, Matt served as President and later CEO of PHD North America, which he joined in 2004. Matt has also held substantial roles within the Omnicom Group, including EVP, Chief Insight and Integration Officer for the holding company and Director of Strategic Planning at BBDO New York. Matt's foundation for his leadership and client relations began on the account side as a Senior Account Director at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners.
His journeys outside the office include partnership with wife Russlyn and their three daughters.
