Office war erupts: Omnicom–IPG merger sparks turf war in Mumbai as leaders battle for space

The high-profile Omnicom–IPG merger, one of the most consequential consolidations in India’s advertising and media ecosystem, has entered an unexpected new phase — a tug-of-war over office real estate. What began as a strategic alignment of two global marketing giants has reportedly spiralled into an ego-driven contest for physical territory between senior creative and media leaders in Mumbai.

According to multiple executives familiar with the developments, the immediate flashpoint is simple but symbolic: where the top bosses and their teams will sit once the integration moves into operational mode. Yet behind that simple question lie layers of hierarchy, legacy, culture, and perceived influence — all of which are shaping the internal negotiations.

Two Offices, Many Power Centers

The groups currently operate out of two major hubs in the city — Omnicom House in Santacruz East and the IPG office in Chibber House, Saki Naka, Andheri. Each location carries its own history and internal ecosystems, and neither is large enough to accommodate the merged workforce in full.

On the Omnicom Advertising side, Aditya Kanthy, President & Managing Director of Omnicom Advertising India, and Kartik Sharma, Omnicom Media India CEO, are both based at Omnicom House. This makes Santacruz the de facto headquarters for the network’s India operations.

Meanwhile, the IPG Mediabrands leadership — Shashi Sinha and Amardeep Singh — who are now part of the merged Omnicom Media India structure, continue to sit at the Andheri office. On the creative front, Nitin Karkare, Chairman of Ulka and Executive Director of Omnicom Advertising India, is also stationed there. Joining them is Dheeraj Sinha, formerly at FCB and now CEO of McCann, who operates from the same space. Both media and creative teams operate from the same office.

The office is a dense ecosystem, housing a full suite of IPG Mediabrands entities including UM, Initiative, Mediahub, Healix, KINESSO, MAGNA, Mediabrands Content Studio, IPG Media Lab, Orion, and Rapport.

The creative side is even more geographically scattered. McCann’s leadership sits out of Voltas House in Chinchpokli, far from both merger hubs, while Lintas operates from its Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) office, giving the merged creative network multiple inherited bases.

This dispersion—Santacruz, Saki Naka, Chinchpokli, and BKC—has created operational headaches and a deeper political struggle over which office becomes the merged headquarters.

This split presence is fueling friction at the highest levels.

Omnicom Advertising India and Omnicom Media India declined to comment on the matter.

‘One Has to Move’: The Clash for Space

Senior industry sources say the Omnicom office cannot house both the media and creative teams simultaneously. The current capacity simply doesn’t allow for the combined headcount — and neither side is keen to relinquish its turf.

“The workplace at Omnicom House can have either creative or media teams to operate under one workplace. Either of the leaders will have to switch workplace with their teams to IPG House — be it creative or media,” a source with direct knowledge of the planning process said.

The implications go beyond desk space. Where each leader sits signals influence in the merged entity. A shift from Santacruz to Andheri — or vice versa — is being read internally as a shift in power dynamics. As a result, senior executives are reportedly pushing hard to ensure their groups remain in the perceived primary hub.

Creative vs. Media: A Symbolic Showdown

Insiders say the contention reflects longstanding cultural and structural distinctions between creative and media arms within advertising conglomerates. Creative teams tend to see themselves as the custodians of brand storytelling, while media teams command enormous budgets and analytics-driven firepower.

In the merged Omnicom–IPG structure, these divisions are now blurring, yet the office-space debate has reignited old rivalries.

“This is less about buildings and more about stature. Whichever division becomes the anchor at Omnicom House will be viewed as steering the combined network,” said a senior executive tracking the transition.

Similar debates have been unfolding in other markets. Sources indicate that Bengaluru and Gurgaon offices have already navigated comparable structural reorganisations, where one team ends up shifting into the other’s workplace as part of the consolidation exercise.

“In those cities, the adjustments happened relatively smoothly. Mumbai, because of its scale and concentration of senior leadership, is proving to be the most complex,” an executive noted.

The transition is expected to conclude by January 1, a date that has put pressure on the logistics and administration teams. Relocation planning is already underway, with backend staff assessing seating charts, floor plans, and systems integration to ensure minimal disruption to client work.

Despite the behind-the-scenes tension, insiders emphasise that both sides ultimately recognise the need to streamline operations. The merger aims to create a more unified, efficient, and powerful marketing services network — but doing so requires difficult calls on operational alignment, including real estate consolidation.

For an industry accustomed to consolidation, mergers are typically assessed in terms of client rosters, business synergies, and global strategy. The Omnicom–IPG integration reveals a different story — one where physical space has become a battleground for defining identity and influence.

With the clock ticking toward January, all eyes inside the network are on one decision: which leader moves, and which office becomes the merged headquarters. The outcome will shape not just seating arrangements, but also the symbolic hierarchy of one of India’s most significant advertising mergers.