Karen van Bergen

Karen van Bergen is the Chief Environmental Sustainability Officer for Omnicom and Dean of Omnicom University (OU). Appointed Chief Environmental Sustainability Officer in 2021, Karen is tasked with developing environmental sustainability strategies, coordinating agency network initiatives and overseeing environmental sustainability reporting.

In January 2020, Karen became the third Dean of OU, succeeding Janet Riccio and founder Tom Watson.

Before being appointed Dean of OU, Karen was CEO of Omnicom Public Relations Group, bringing more than thirty years of agency- and client-side experience to that role. She held responsibility for all public relations and public affairs firms within Omnicom, encompassing more than 6,300 employees. Karen also served as CEO of Porter Novelli, leading the agency on a path of significant transformation—marked by growth and award-winning work over a three-year period.