Publicis Media EMEA CEO Iain Jacob to leave
Iain Jacob, chief executive at Publicis Media EMEA, has left the business to pursue opportunities outside of the company. Jacob, who has been with the company for 15 years, will stay through the end of May. New EMEA leadership will be announced in coming days.
Iain Jacob, CEO Publicis Media EMEA, departs
An internal replacement is expected to be announced soon.
During his time within the group, Jacob led Starcom MediaVest across EMEA, Australia and Canada, followed by launching and leading Publicis Media across the EMEA region in 2015. He spent the last two years in that role, reporting to Publicis Media boss Steve King.
King said: “Iain has done a terrific job of launching and building Publicis Media in EMEA over the past two years. Alongside the rest of my global leadership team, he contributed to creating a distinctive, agency brand-led organisation. While I am saddened to see Iain go after such excellent service, I wish him all the best in his next adventure.”
Jacob added: “I have been given great opportunities within Publicis since joining in 2003 and have thoroughly enjoyed helping build a strong and growing media business in EMEA. Leading the Publicis Media country CEOs across EMEA has been fantastic, their passion and commitment is truly inspiring. I thank Publicis Groupe and Steve King for having been given the chance and support to help create and build a business of this scale. Now is the perfect time for my next challenge.”
It comes at a critical time for the business. Group chief executive Arthur Sadoun has been cheering Publicis’ Power of One strategy but is predicting ’Mediapolooza Two' after $10bn worth of business was put under review in the first few weeks of the year.
Publicis Groupe's results for 2017 saw flat revenue in comparison to the previous year, down by 0.4% alongside organic growth of 0.8%. The fourth quarter saw revenue decline by 3.1% to €2,583m.
"We were on the defense during 'Mediapolooza One' but here we will be much more on the attack during 'Mediapolooza Two'," Sadoun told The Drum. "I see it as an opportunity because of the work we started three years ago."