Technovation with Peter High (CIO, CTO, CDO, CXO Interviews) Scaling Technology at Omnicom: Craig Cuyar on Post-Acquisition Transformation
Mar 19, 2026
Craig Cuyar, Global CIO of Omnicom who leads large-scale IT transformations, discusses scaling tech across a $25B marketing organization. He covers post-acquisition integration, centralizing capabilities while keeping business-aligned IT, and outsourcing non-core work. He also talks about using first-party data, AI and agentic workflows to transform marketing, plus role-based AI training for staff.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Post Acquisition Integration Kicked Off Immediately
- After closing the Interpublic acquisition the day before Thanksgiving, Omnicom launched 75 integration plans covering cybersecurity, tenant consolidation, and data migration.
- Craig noted the real work involved organizational change management and aligning policies across both companies.
First Party Data Enables End To End Visibility
- The acquisition delivers scale and first‑party data that link creative ideation to e-commerce conversion across Omnicom's proprietary platforms.
- Craig highlighted the end-to-end visibility from funnel through consumption enabled by merged datasets.
Outsource Non Differentiating Functions
- Outsource non-differentiating operations so you can reinvest people and capital into market-facing capabilities.
- Craig advised using providers with scale for functions like data centers and email to lower cost and focus on proprietary platforms.