- these mechanisms remained in place throughout the whole year and were also backed up by unprecedented communication efforts to keep the teams engaged. Every Sunday, a video message was sent from the CEO to all Groupe employees. Q&A sessions were regularly organized with the Groupe’s key managers; several thousand employees took part in these;
- implementation of new tools by the Groupe (HRIS) was sped up and adapted to support the accelerated rollout of Marcel and the platforms for the redeployment of our internal resources;
- in the spring, events in the United States led to an increase in the focus on talent from “diverse” groups and the launch of an unprecedented effort in the area of diversity and inclusion. All top management were involved in a “Pause for Action” day, which resulted in an action plan being announced;
- in the second half of the year, attention was also devoted to the lessons to be drawn from this crisis: The “Future of Work” survey was launched, as well as a seminar on Marcel, before Christmas, which brought the Groupe’s 80,000 employees together virtually. The return to the office, where possible, was managed very cautiously, with the management team’s top priority being the health of employees.
2. Maintain smooth operations:
- priority was given to teleworking;
- thanks in particular to the HRIS, internal resource management tools were rolled out, making it possible to assign the Groupe’s employees to the areas where the work was most intense and thus limit the impact of the crisis on employment;
- a new budget was drawn up immediately and approved by the Board in May 2020, following close consultation with each country. Strict budget monitoring was set up throughout the year;
- cumbersome processes (accounts closing, payroll) were managed remotely without mishap.
3. Protect revenue and the client portfolios:
- teams were mobilized for talent as a priority, then for the Groupe’s clients;
- discussions were held with each client affected by the crisis;
- specific products were developed to meet the needs of clients;
- a Chief Marketing Officer was appointed, together with a supporting team;
- In the end, revenue with the Groupe’s top 200 clients grew by 1.8%.
4. Rigorous cost management:
- several hundred contracts with strategic suppliers and lessors were renegotiated and payment terms were adjusted wherever possible;
- internal resources were used and external recruitment was frozen;
- restructuring was carried out where necessary;
- some 6,000 employees voluntarily agreed to a reduction of their wages, and reductions in working hours were added according to local situations;
- in the end, Publicis delivered the best operating margin in the sector.
5. Take appropriate measures for the strict management of resources and protection of the Groupe’s assets:
- the investment effort was maintained where it was vital for the Groupe (Marcel, cybersecurity);
- the real estate sites have been redeployed: the premises streamlining program has been intensified;
- the use of state aid in France was refused in order to maintain our independence;
- the share price held up well.
3.2.2.4 Compensation paid or allocated to Arthur Sadoun, Chairman of the Management Board
In accordance with article L. 22-22-34 (II) of the French Commercial Code, the General Shareholders’ Meeting must vote on the variable and extraordinary items of total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during the past financial year or awarded for that financial year to the Chairman of the Management Board.
The General Shareholders’ Meeting of May 26, 2021 will be asked to vote on the items of compensation paid or awarded in respect of the 2020 financial year to Arthur Sadoun, Chairman of the Management Board, as set out below. These elements comply with the compensation policy for the Chairman of the Management Board for the 2020 financial year presented in Section 3.2.1.5 of the Publicis Groupe SA 2019 Universal Registration Document, as approved by the General Shareholders’ Meeting of May 27, 2020 in its eighth resolution. Given the strong approval of items of compensation at the previous General Shareholders’ Meeting, the items of compensation paid or awarded in respect of the 2020 financial year are in line with those paid or awarded in respect of the 2019 financial year. It should be noted that the fixed, variable and extraordinary items of compensation are subject to the approval of the Ordinary General Shareholders’ Meeting in accordance with the provisions of article L. 22-10-34, II of the French Commercial Code.
These fixed, variable and extraordinary items within the total compensation and benefits of any kind paid during the past financial year or awarded with respect to the same financial year to Arthur Sadoun, Chairman of the Management Board, are subject to the approval of the General Shareholders’ Meeting of May 26, 2021 in its sixteenth resolution pursuant to article L. 22-10-34, II of the French Commercial Code.
