Publicis chief Sadoun is joined by a youthful Maurice Levy in first Christmas address
Publicis Groupe chief Arthur Sadoun gave his first Christmas address to the holding company's staff in a funny short video, having taken over from long-term predecessor, Maurice Levy earlier in the year.
“Bonjour. Here we are: the end of the year. The good news is,” began a surprisingly white-haired and aged Sadoun in his address. "For once, it will be short and won’t give any objective or business announcements. You had enough in the last months.”
Among those announcements of the year, his promotion in June, the consolidation of the US offices to one building apiece, the resignation of Publicis.Sapient co-chief executive Chip Register, and Publicis’ decision to remove itself from Cannes in 2018 to invest in AI assistant Marcel.
“As you can see, 2017 has been a long and impactful year. But most importantly, this has been a year of transformation for us, in an industry that has been totally disrupted.”
He “truly and sincerely” thanked his staff: “My message to you is very simple: I wish you and your family a happy, healthy 2018, full of joy and personal success.”
As Sadoun finished speaking, his predecessor, Publicis chairman Maurice Levy, arrived, looking the picture of health in his new found freedom.
“Well, Arthur, I think you need some rest, too,” said Levy. His once grey hair now noticeably darker than when he vacated the Parisian office earlier this year.
“And you’re right, change is never easy. But it can be rejuvenating, too. Personally, I'm starting to feel the positive effects of all you have accomplished, all in such a short period of time.”
The video then ends on a tense moment as the two hover over the lone prop—an "I'm The Boss" mug — before Sadoun, rightfully took ownership and saluted his staff for the end of the year.