Publicis boss Maurice Levy to step down in 2016 amid board shake-up

Saatchi & Saatchi chief executive Kevin Roberts will also depart in 2016, as will chief operating officer Jean-Yves Naouri. In the wake of the failed merger with Omnicom, Publicis’ senior leadership group, known as the Directoire is being replaced with a new team, which will be known as Directoire+.

The existing Directoire comprises Lévy, Roberts, chief operating officer Jean-Yves Naouri, chief financial officer Jean-Michel Etienne and senior vice president, compliance and legal, Anne Gabrielle Heilbronner. Their current terms of office are to end with immediate effect.

The new group is appointed for a period of four years. The restructure is intended to "lead the way for a new generation at the helm of the Groupe".

As of 1 January 2015, Roberts will serve as executive chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi/Fallon and head coach of Publicis Groupe, tasked with motivating the Groupe’s senior leaders. The shake-up comes after a meeting of the Conseil de Surveillance, Publicis Groupe’s supervisory board on 15 September.

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk