Mat Baxter is departing as global CEO of Huge, two years after taking the helm of the struggling agency and building a plan to reorganize the shop into a creative consultancy with AI capabilities. Lisa De Bonis assumes the global CEO role after serving as Huge’s chief product officer.
Baxter's attempt to transform Huge's business was the subject of Michael Farmer’s 2023 book “Madison Avenue Makeover: The Transformation of Huge and the Redefinition of the Ad Agency Business.”
Huge's parent, Interpublic Group of Cos., declined to comment further on the move and whether there will be a replacement for De Bonis as chief product officer.
Baxter confirmed he will no longer remain with IPG. One major reason for the move was because doing his job from Australia “simply wasn’t sustainable,” he told Ad Age. While he said he isn’t ready to discuss plans, he said he is looking for an Australia-based role.