Carla Serrano Joins Publicis Kaplan Thaler as Chief Strategy Officer

NEW YORK CITY, NY (January 16, 2014) – Andrew Bruce, CEO for Publicis North America, today announced the appointment of Carla Serrano as Chief Strategy Officer for Publicis Kaplan Thaler, effective February 10, 2014.  Serrano, a leading planning expert, brings over 20 years of experience in brand strategy and integrated communications through her work on many of the world’s most successful global brands.

Serrano joins Publicis Kaplan Thaler from Naked Communications, where she was CEO.  In her new post as Chief Strategy Officer, Serrano will lead strategy development across digital, brand planning, analytics and social channels, working closely with Publicis Kaplan Thaler’s Chairman, Linda Kaplan Thaler, and President/Chief Creative Officer, Rob Feakins.

In making the announcement, Bruce said, “Carla is an amazingly talented and innovative strategic leader who is at the forefront of modern brand building.  She understands and fully embraces the transformation that has taken place in our industry with digital, social and consumer empowerment at the core. I had the pleasure of working with Carla at the start of our careers, and have watched her achieve great success for her clients and agencies ever since.  I am so thrilled to be on the same team again.”In making the move, Serrano said, “Andrew, Linda and Rob’s vision deeply aligns with my belief about strategy today, where theory and practice, strategy and creative, content and channel merge seamlessly in expression. The Publicis network’s commitment to strategically fueled creativity and dynamic integration is refreshing, critical, and exciting.”

Serrano started her advertising career at Chiat/Day Toronto at a time when account planning was an emerging discipline in North America. From the start, she worked on iconic brands including Apple and Nissan, then Pepsi and Frito-Lay while at BBDO. Serrano moved to New York to rejoin TBWA Chiat/Day where she helped embed and cultivate the agency’s proprietary creative strategy process. She went on to become TBWA’s Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to her most recent post at Naked, Serrano was with Berlin Cameron United as Planning Director and was promoted to President in 2009 having helped win and lead global brands such as Samsung, Coca-Cola and Hennessy.

About Publicis Kaplan Thaler
Publicis Kaplan Thaler is the New York flagship office of Publicis North America, the regional operating unit of Paris-based Publicis Worldwide, the largest global network within holding company Publicis Groupe S.A.

With over 650 employees, Publicis Kaplan Thaler is a fully integrated advertising agency with digital, social and technology at its core. The Agency’s blue chip client roster includes: Procter & Gamble, CITI, Nestle, Merck, Pfizer, TriHonda, Wendy’s, L’Oreal, and Aflac, among others. Its mission is ‘To Lead the Change’ to help clients leap ahead. To learn more about Publicis Kaplan Thaler, follow @PKTtweets, like on Facebook or visit pkt.com.

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Publicis Dallas Taps Brad Roseberry as Chief Creative Officer

Roseberry Brings International, Award-winning, Creative Talent & Leadership to New Role

DALLAS, TX (November 18, 2013) – Publicis Dallas taps Brad Roseberry for the new role of Chief Creative Officer. Most recently, Roseberry was Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York, charged with rebranding the Accenture global business.  Before that, he was SVP, Creative Director at BBDO New York.  He has worked at some of the top creative agencies in the world, most notably, Goodby Silverstein, Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam and 180 Amsterdam.

Roseberry’s work has been recognized by nearly every major award show in the industry, including: Cannes Lions, The One Show, Clio, D&AD and Epica, where he won the prestigious Epica d’Or.  His background includes developing creative solutions for some of the most successful – and iconic – brands around, including: GE, Pepsi, adidas, Sony and the California Milk Advisory Board (Got Milk?).

Sally Kennedy, CEO, Publicis Dallas, stated, “We have big plans for the agency. Adding world-class creative talent is a significant part of this. Brad honed his top-tier skills at many of the leading creative shops across the globe.  I’m confident everyone will feel his positive impact immediately.”

Roseberry added, “Sally’s commitment to creating a unique environment devoted to creating world-class creative is the reason I’ve signed on. I’m excited at the prospect of leading the agency to the next level.”

Roseberry will start immediately and report directly to Kennedy.

About Publicis Dallas
Publicis Dallas, an integrated marketing communications agency, is a part of Publicis Worldwide in the USA, the North American regional operating unit of Paris-based Publicis Worldwide, the largest global agency network within holding company, Publicis Groupe S.A. The Publicis Worldwide mission is ‘To Lead The Change’ to help our clients leap ahead. Publicis Dallas clients include: Bridgestone Americas; CiCi’s Pizza; Nestlé brands Nestlé Pure Life, Nestea, and Juicy Juice, and ServiceMaster brand TruGreen, among others.

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Publicis Dallas Taps Tyler Beck as SVP, Dir. of Consumer Insights

Beck Brings Big Brand Experience and Collaborative Leadership Skills to Agency

DALLAS, TX (August 7, 2013) – Publicis Dallas taps Tyler Beck for the new role of senior vice president/director of consumer insights, reporting directly to Sally Kennedy, CEO, Publicis Dallas. Beck brings big brand experience to the agency having worked on VISA, Samsung, GM, P&G, Starbucks, Guinness, Citibank and Unilever, among others. He will work on all Publicis Dallas clients, including recent win Bridgestone Americas, Terminix, TruGreen, CiCi’s, Nestle Pure Life and Nestea, among others.

Kennedy stated, “Tyler’s experience speaks for itself: big brands, big results. His gift for strategic insight will bring a new depth to the brain trust of Publicis Dallas. He is the epitome of a truly collaborative leader and team player, with the skills to lead our growing strategic planning group in an exciting direction. In the new role of director of consumer insights, Tyler will curate the Publicis Dallas perspective on all things consumer-related for our growing client roster.”

Beck was most recently executive director of strategy at Cheil USA in New York, where he built and ran the planning discipline at its New York and Dallas offices. Prior to Cheil, Beck was senior vice president/group behavioral planning director at BBDO NY, where he pitched and won P&G’s Future Friendly product line. Before that, he was at Lowe Worldwide NY, where he led the global Stella Artois account as well as Unilever’s Degree account as brand strategy director. Beck also spent six years at TBWA/Chiat/Day LA, where he helped turn around Nissan.

Beck stated, “I couldn’t be more excited to join Publicis Dallas as director of consumer insights. I could feel the positive energy emanating from this place from the moment I first stepped into the office. I’m looking forward to working with Sally and the leadership team to help take planning and the agency to the next level.”

About Publicis Dallas
Publicis Dallas, an integrated marketing communications agency, is a part of Publicis Worldwide in the USA, the North American regional operating unit of Paris-based Publicis Worldwide, the largest global agency network within holding company, Publicis Groupe S.A. The Publicis Worldwide mission is ‘To Lead The Change’ to help our clients leap ahead. Publicis Dallas clients include: Bridgestone; CiCi’s Pizza; Nestlé brands Nestlé Pure Life, Nestea, and Juicy Juice; Simon Property Group; and ServiceMaster brands TruGreen and Terminix; among others.

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Omnicom & Publicis Groupe to Merge

Merger of equals to create Publicis Omnicom Group, a best-in-class communications, advertising, marketing and digital services company with combined 2012 revenue of $22.7 billion — Combined market capitalization of $35.1 billion

• Brings together iconic agency brands, offering clients industry-leading breadth of services, global reach & the most highly recognized & awarded talent
• Jointly led by Omnicom CEO John Wren & Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy as co-CEOs
• Provides compelling benefits for clients, employees & shareholders
• Publicis Groupe/Omnicom shareholders will each hold approximately 50% of new company’s equity
• New entity expected to be listed on the NYSE & Euronext Paris & included in S&P 500 & CAC 40

NEW YORK CITY, NY & PARIS, FRANCE (July 28, 2013) – Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) and Publicis Groupe SA (Euronext Paris: FR0000130577) today announced that they have signed a definitive agreement for a merger of equals, creating the world’s leading company in communications, advertising, marketing and digital services, with combined 2012 revenue of $22.7 billion / €17.7 billion. Based on closing prices on July 26, 2013, Publicis Omnicom Group will have a combined equity market capitalization of approximately $35.1 billion / €26.5 billion. The merged group of more than 130,000 employees will be exceptionally well positioned to serve clients’ evolving needs, helping them to build their brands and grow their businesses in the rapidly changing communications landscape.

The combination, which has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, brings together the most extensive portfolio of best-in-class agencies offering clients the industry’s leading talent across disciplines and geographies. Publicis Omnicom Group will include such iconic agency brands as BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB, Leo Burnett, TBWA, Razorfish, Publicis Worldwide, Fleishman-Hillard, DigitasLBi, Ketchum, StarcomMediaVest, OMD, BBH, Interbrand, MSLGROUP, RAPP, Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG), Proximity, Rosetta, CDM, ZenithOptimedia and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, to name just a few.

Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said: “The communication and marketing landscape has undergone dramatic changes in recent years including the exponential development of new media giants, the explosion of Big Data, blurring of the roles of all players and profound changes in consumer behavior. This evolution has created both great challenges and tremendous opportunities for clients. John and I have conceived this merger to benefit our clients by bringing together the most comprehensive offering of analog and digital services. Equally important, it will offer our talented people new avenues for growth and success at the crossroads of strategic intelligence, creativity, science and technology.”

John Wren, CEO of Omnicom, said: “Both Maurice and I believe this new company reflects our vision of retaining the best talent, attracting an incredible roster of clients and leading innovation. Omnicom and Publicis Groupe are reshaping the industry by setting a new standard for supporting clients with integrated messaging across marketing disciplines and geographies. This combination will enable us to leverage the skills of our exceptionally talented people, our broad product offering, enhanced global footprint, and tremendous roster of global and local clients. In short, we believe this is a merger that will set our new company on a path to accelerated growth, with long-term benefits for clients, employees and shareholders.”

Mr. Wren & Mr. Lévy said jointly: “For many years, we have had great respect for one another as well as for the companies we each lead. This respect has grown in the past few months as we have worked to make this combination a reality. We look forward to co-leading the combined company and are excited about what our people can achieve together for our clients and our shareholders.”

Publicis Omnicom Group has been structured with balanced corporate governance consistent with the spirit of a merger of equals. Publicis Groupe and Omnicom’s CEOs will lead the company as co-CEOs through an initial integration and development period of 30 months, following which Mr. Lévy will become non-executive Chairman and Mr. Wren will continue as CEO. The company will have a single-tier board with 16 members, consisting of the two co-CEOs and seven non-executive directors from each company.

For the first year following the closing of the transaction, Bruce Crawford, currently Omnicom Chairman, will be the non-executive Chairman of Publicis Omnicom Group. He will be succeeded by the current Publicis Groupe Chairperson, Elisabeth Badinter, as non-executive Chairperson for the second year following the closing of the transaction.

The transaction is expected to create significant value for shareholders. The new company’s broader portfolio of agencies and services and deeper geographic footprint will allow the combined company to accelerate revenue growth and create operating synergies. The future scalability and internal synergies of the combined company are expected to generate efficiencies of $500 million / €377 million.

The transaction is a cross-border merger of equals under a holding company, Publicis Omnicom Group, in The Netherlands. The Group’s operational head offices will continue to be based in Paris and New York. The merger is expected to be tax-free to the shareholders of both companies. The transaction has been structured so that the shareholders of Publicis Groupe and Omnicom, after special dividends, will each hold approximately 50% of the equity of Publicis Omnicom Group. Publicis Groupe shareholders will receive one newly issued ordinary share of Publicis Omnicom Group for each Publicis Groupe share they own, together with a special dividend of €1.00 per share. Omnicom shareholders will receive 0.813 newly issued ordinary shares of Publicis Omnicom Group for each Omnicom share they own, together with a special dividend of $2.00 per share. In addition, Omnicom shareholders will receive up to two regular quarterly dividends of $0.40 per share if declared and the record date occurs prior to closing.

Ms. Badinter and family members as well as Mr. Lévy have entered into agreements in support of the merger, as have Mr. Wren, Mr. Crawford, and Mr. Randall Weisenburger, Omnicom’s CFO.

Publicis Omnicom Group is expected to be listed on the NYSE and Euronext Paris, traded under the symbol OMC, and to be included in the S&P 500 and CAC 40.

The transaction is subject to approval by the shareholders of both companies as well as numerous regulatory approvals. It is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2013 or the first quarter of 2014.

Publicis Groupe and Omnicom have expressed the desire to have their shares start trading simultaneously on the day of announcement. As a consequence and because of the time difference, Publicis Groupe has asked Euronext Paris to postpone the trading of its shares to 9.30am New York time / 3.30pm Paris time.

Moelis & Company is financial advisor to Omnicom on the transaction. Rothschild is acting as financial advisor to Publicis Groupe. Legal advisors to Omnicom are Latham & Watkins LLP and De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek N.V. Legal advisors to Publicis Groupe are Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; Darrois Villey Maillot Brochier; and NautaDulith N.V. Jones Day provided counsel to Moelis & Company.

Click here for a link to the official press release and press kit.

About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is one of the world’s leading communications groups. We offer the full range of services and skills: digital (DigitasLBi, Razorfish, Rosetta, VivaKi), creative services (BBH, Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi), public affairs, corporate communications and events (MSLGROUP), media strategy, planning and buying (Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia) and healthcare communications, with Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG). Present in 108 countries, the Groupe employs 60,000 professionals.

About Omnicom
Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) is a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Omnicom’s branded networks and numerous specialty firms provide advertising, strategic media planning and buying, digital and interactive marketing, direct and promotional marketing, public relations and other specialty communications services to over 5,000 clients in more than 100 countries.

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