Publicis Groupe Boosts Management Structure with Two Senior Nominations and New Management Bodies

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris : FR0000130577, CAC 40] Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun today announced an important step in the Groupe’s transformation plan including two nominations of executives at the Groupe level and the creation of two committees, the Executive Committee and the Management Committee.

Carla Serrano, CEO of Publicis New York and Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Communications is promoted to the role of Chief Strategy Officer of Publicis Groupe, effective immediately. Throughout her career, Carla has assumed a combination of strategic leadership and agency management roles inside big network shops as well as creative boutiques. Before arriving at Publicis, she held positions such as CEO of Naked NA, CSO at TBWA Chiat/Day NY and President of Berlin Cameron and Partners.

Carla has worked with some of the most iconic brands including Coca-Cola, Samsung, Kraft, P&G, HPE and Citibank, among others. She joined Publicis in 2014 and has truly contributed to the Groupe’s development with Citi and the wins of Cadillac and HPE. In 2017, Carla was honored in the Ad Age Women to Watch ranking.

The second nomination is of Véronique Weill, who will join Publicis Groupe as General Manager. She wil start September 1, 2017 and will take responsibility for Re:Sources, IT, Real Estate, Insurance and M&A. Véronique spent 21 years at JP Morgan where she led operations and IT globally. She then joined Axa in 2006, where as part of the management committee she was responsible for operations, technology, digital, marketing and innovation. As Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Customer Officer, she contributed to making Axa the world’s number one insurance brand.

In addition to her rich international experience, Véronique also brings a deep knowledge of the service sector, having launched JP Morgan’s platforms in the 2000s between India, Europe and the US. With a degree from Sciences-Po in Paris, her expertise will be an asset with which Publicis Groupe will be able to improve its internal service offerings and reach new heights in terms of technology.

Arthur Sadoun, Chairman & CEO of Publicis Groupe, commented, “Carla’s promotion is the well-deserved recognition of her incredible contribution to the Groupe, be it through winning new business, transforming our relationship with existing clients or incarnating the spirit of The Power of One. Her profile is truly hybrid between creativity and technology, which has allowed her to frequently act as the link between our different Solution hubs. I’m also delighted to be welcoming Véronique, whose experience, reputation and strength as a leader will be a great asset to Publicis as we accelerate our on key areas for growth. I know she will be a fantastic support for the Publicis Groupe teams in the field.”

Carla Serrano commented, “I'm excited to help shape the future of Publicis Groupe during a time of integration, reinvention and tech-led ingenuity".

Véronique Weill continued, “I’d first like to thank Maurice Lévy and Arthur Sadoun for giving me the opportunity to discover a new role and to join in the Publicis adventure. I am very happy to be joining a French group, international by vocation, that anticipated very early on the shift to digital. I’m looking forward to the exciting challenge of contributing to the transformation of Publicis Groupe.”

Publicis Groupe is also introducing two new management bodies, in addition to the existing Directoire which includes Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner, Secretary General, Publicis Groupe Jean-Michel Etienne, Executive Vice President, CFO, Publicis Groupe, Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media, and Arthur Sadoun, Chairman & CEO, Publicis Groupe.

The first is the Executive Committee, composed of the Directoire members plus:

• Chip Register, Co-CEO of Publicis.Sapient
• Carla Serrano, Chief Strategy Officer, Publicis Groupe
• Nigel Vaz, President, DigitasLBi
• Véronique Weill, General Manager, Publicis Groupe
• Alan Wexler, Co-CEO, Publicis.Sapient

The Executive Committee will be responsible for the transformation of Publicis Groupe and will meet in person every month to bring to life the Groupe’s vision and align its assets and talents at the service of our clients.

The second is the Management Committee that will be composed of the Executive Committee members plus: 

• Valerie Beauchamp, EVP Business Development, Publicis Groupe
• Justin Billingsley, COO Publicis Communications
• Agathe Bousquet, President, France, Publicis Groupe*
• Gerry Boyle, CEO APAC, Publicis Media
• Andrew Bruce, CEO North America, Publicis Communications
• Nick Colucci, CEO Publicis Health
• Lisa Donohue, Global Brand President, Starcom
• Tim Jones, CEO North America, Publicis Media
• Loris Nold, COO Publicis Communications
• Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe
• Alexandra Von Plato, Group President, Publicis Health
• Jarek Ziebinski, CEO, Publicis One

The Management Committee will meet every quarter and be fully responsible for operations throughout the Groupe and ensure drastic acceleration in the execution of Publicis Groupe’s plans.

Arthur Sadoun added, “Maurice Lévy and I are both very confident in these recruitments as well as in the implementation of the 2 new management bodies composed of diverse, talented leaders to drive the Groupe through its transformation to become a true platform.”