American Express has chosen Universal McCann (UM) as its global media agency of record following an agency review spanning four months.

As of January, UM – part of the Interpublic Group (IPG) Mediabrands network – will head the financial company’s strategic media planning and buying worldwide, taking over for GroupM agency Mindshare. Mindshare held the account for two decades.

The win will see UM work alongside its creative agencies to develop the company’s global brand platform, “Powerful Backing,” which launched this spring.

Amex CMO Elizabeth Rutledge said in a statement that its goal is to deepen relationships with customers and prospects while driving “greater marketing efficiency” across the business. She added that the brand was “impressed with [UM’s] capabilities across media, technology and data and insights, as well as their commitment to building teams with diverse experience and diverse perspectives.”

In a recent interview, IPG Canada’s chief executive Graham Moysey told MiC the agency group is focused largely on attracting and training appropriate talent in order to keep the various media shops up to date with evolving industry demands.

Amex is the latest in a series of wins for UM, which won Home Depot Canada, CAMH Foundation and Expedia.ca earlier this year.

Representatives from IPG Mediabrands did not return requests for comment at press time.