Women to Watch 2021: Pauly Grant, Publicis Groupe

Pauly Grant

Chief talent officer, ANZ
Publicis Groupe
Australia

Pauly Grant, managing the HR team at Publicis Groupe ANZ, is a creative problem-solver. She adapts unique and tailored solutions to solve complex problems, always striving to develop progressive and fresh approaches to people strategy, and her impact reaches well beyond her APAC remit, according to Publicis Groupe APAC CEO Loris Nold.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Grant launched and led rollout of the Publicis Liberté framework in 2019. A bold, flexible-working approach, it contributed to attracting and retaining new talent, helping reduce staff turnover to 23%, compared with the Australia industry average of 35.8%. In a staff engagement survey carried out in June, Publicis staff are happier, and more than 80% of employees said  Publicis Liberté supports a positive work/life balance.

In light of the pandemic, Grant’s creative and innovative solution Publicis Bench, which allowed staff who had the capacity to help on a temporary basis, redeployed resources to work for other agency businesses within the group. This initiative helped retain 109 jobs during the pandemic. In the end, it became a permanent program, saving 2000 jobs globally last year, according to the company. 

Because of Grant and her team’s work, Publicis Groupe ANZ won recognition in the prestigious 2021 HRD Employer of Choice Awards and became a finalist in the 2020 Australian HR Awards in the 'Employer of Choice' and 'Best Change Management Strategy' categories.

Starting from Australia, Grant went all the way to the global leadership team, joining the newly formed group executive leadership team in 2018. She now sits on the talent executive committee for Publicis' international markets. Grant contributes inventive talent strategies that positively impact the quality of our work and overall organisation globally", says Severine Charbon, Publicis Groupe international markets chief talent officer. 

Grant cares about DEI, as she led the Publicis team to redesign the diversity and inclusion strategy into three sub-committees: Viva Women, Egalité (supporting the LGBTQI+ community) and First Nations. She is the executive sponsor of the Publicis Viva Women program. She is also the executive sponsor and founder of the Next Generation Board, a high-potential program to develop emerging talent. At the same time, she sits on the board of the Media Federation of Australia and works with the Advertising Council Australia for programs to progress the industry.