Paris-based Publicis Groupe has chosen Arthur Sadoun, currently ceo of Publicis Communications, to succeed Maurice Lévy as chairman & ceo of the groupe, effective June 1. Lévy has been retained as supervisory board chairman.
Sadoun will preside over the management board, which will also see the arrival of Steve King, currently ceo of Publicis Media. King will join current management board members Jean-Michel Etienne (executive vice president-CFO) and Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner (secretary general).
“The highly respected professional qualities of Arthur Sadoun, his unique understanding of clients and their needs, his accomplishments both during his time at Publicis Groupe and before, and his human qualities, all make him the prime candidate,” said supervisory board chair Elisabeth Badinter.
She also paid tribute to the service of Maurice Lévy over the last 30 years. “Our groupe has profoundly transformed itself, ranked today not only as the 3rd group globally but above all as the 1st when it comes to the engine of the future: digital,” Badinter said.
“It would be too long to list all of the accomplishments achieved under his direction. It suffices to say that, over this period, our headcount went from around 3000 people to nearly 80,000; our revenue has multiplied by nearly 50 and our market capitalistion by close to 100.
“I would like to warmly thank him and tell him how much the Supervisory Board and myself are grateful to him.
Lévy still in frame
“Succession is never an easy task and this is the reason why I very much insisted that Maurice Lévy remain at our side to provide Arthur Sadoun with guidance in and recommendations for his difficult task. Therefore, I have proposed that Maurice Lévy join the supervisory board as chairman, if the shareholders agree with my recommendation and that of the supervisory board at the next Annual General Meeting.”
Arthur Sadoun said: “Leading the company founded by visionary Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet and made into a global communications leader by Maurice Lévy is an immense honour and an incredible challenge. A challenge that I’ll meet with open arms, thanks to the continued contribution of Maurice’s wisdom and experience, and the support of Steve King, the management board and the talented individuals who make up Publicis Groupe.
“Thanks to each of them, I’m taking on this new role with confidence, determination and one objective in mind: accelerating our transformation and development through The Power of One to continue to make Publicis shine like Marcel and Maurice have done for the past 90 years.”
MediaWorks Radio changes
More FM content director Christian Boston’s responsibilities have been extended to include general manager of The Breeze and Magic brands. Boston was named Content Director of the Year for More FM in 2016 at the NZ Radio Awards, and the network says that under his leadership More FM has nationally experienced more growth than any other commercial station in the last three years.
Joining the More FM team in March as the assistant content director & network talent coach is Matt Anderson, currently content director at 2DAYFM Sydney. Previously, he was the group content director for NZME.
Will Maisey takes up the role of content director for The Breeze Network. Maisey has been in radio for more than 13 years – he started at The Edge in 2003 and moved to Australia in 2010 as executive producer with Southern Cross Austereo, before returning to NZ to Wellington in 2014 to manage The Breeze Wellington & Operations. In 2016, he then moved to More FM assistant content director. In 2017 he will program The Breeze on a daily basis and be involved in station strategy and direction for the station.
Leon Wratt, MediaWorks group content director music, said: “More FM and The Breeze are two of our most successful and well-loved radio brands. With these appointments we have further strengthened the team, the future of the stations and our great talent line-up.”
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