Omnicom Media has named Sandra Sotelo, CEO of PHD EMEA. Sotelo succeeds Susanne Grundmann who was recently named Global President of OM’s Initiative.
Sotelo takes on the regional role following six years as Managing Director of PHD Spain, delivering sustained business growth and accelerated transformation agendas for clients. During her tenure, she oversaw the creation of a series of multi-market hubs to service global clients; and helped make PHD one of Spain’s top three best-performing agencies for new business from 2024 through 2026 YTD, as currently reported on the COMvergence C-DASH real-time dashboards.
In her new role, Sotelo will lead a team of more than 3,600 people across EMEA, bringing deep expertise in digital media, client transformation and cross-market leadership to the network’s largest region. She takes the helm at a time of significant momentum for the agency, as wins like Adidas, Dyson and SkyShowtime have made PHD the number one media agency network globally and in EMEA for both total and net new business (wins minus losses, excluding retentions) for 2026 YTD, according to COMvergence provisional data.
Commenting on the appointment, Christian Flouch, Global Brand President, PHD said:
“Sandra’s appointment reflects everything PHD stands for. Throughout her career, she has consistently demonstrated what it means to Outthink, Outpace and Outgrow, combining strategic vision with a proven ability to deliver results for clients and businesses alike.
Having built and led multi-market client hubs, Sandra already has deep relationships across our EMEA network and first-hand experience of what it takes to drive collaboration, innovation and performance across diverse markets. As our clients navigate an era defined by AI, technology and continual change, Sandra’s expertise means she is exceptionally well placed to lead PHD EMEA into its next chapter of growth.”
Commenting on her new role, Sotelo said:
“The success we have achieved in Spain has always been driven by talented people, ambitious clients and a culture that encourages us to challenge convention and think differently.
Across EMEA, we have an extraordinary opportunity to build on PHD’s momentum and shape an ambitious new chapter for our network. The disruption reshaping media, technology, data, and consumer expectations is redefining how brands connect with people and how businesses grow. Our ambition is to help clients lead that transformation and set the pace for our industry. With the strength of our people, the depth of our capabilities, and the power of our network, we are uniquely positioned to help clients turn that change into competitive advantage. I look forward to working with our teams across the region to help our clients outthink the competition, outpace change, and outgrow their ambitions.”
Sotelo joins the EMEA team on 16th November and will be based in London, reporting to Flouch and Blake Cuthbert, Chief Client Success Officer, Omnicom Media EMEA.
