Message from the Chairman of the management board
MESSAGE DU PRÉSIDENT DU DIRECTOIRE
Thanks to Maurice Lévy’s vision and the remarkable efforts of all our teams, Publicis has undergone a radical transformation over the last ten years, from a communications partner for our clients to an essential partner in their transformation. This year we have once again demonstrated the superiority of our model, despite a challenging macroeconomic environment.
After two years of double-digit growth, the Groupe’s organic net revenue growth reached +6.3% in 2023, outperforming not only other communications groups but also digital transformation consulting firms.
This outperformance is mainly due to our unique positioning with Epsilon data at the heart of Publicis Media, and our continued momentum in new business, where we have remained number one for the last five years. Our creative agencies have shown resilience in the face of budget cuts across the traditional advertising sector. Publicis Sapient delivered a satisfactory performance despite the wait- and-see attitude of some clients with regard to their digital transformation projects, a situation that is generally affecting all the major players on the digital transformation market.
In addition to outperforming in terms of organic growth, the Groupe has achieved record results with regard to financial ratios in 2023, with an operating margin of 18% and an adjusted free cash flow of 1.7 billion euros, the best in the industry.
These very solid results will allow us to propose to our shareholders at the General Shareholders’ meeting of May 29, 2024, dividend payments, paid entirely in cash, of 3.40 euros per share an increase of 17% and a payout ratio of 49%, the highest among our peers.
OUR UNIQUE PLATFORM-BASED ORGANISATION ALLOWS US TO INVEST IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR EMPLOYEES AND THE ACCELERATION OF OUR TECHNOLOGICAL CAPABILITIES, PARTICULARLY IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, TRANSFORMING THE GROUPE’S ORGANISATION INTO AN INTELLIGENT SYSTEM.
Our unique platform-based organisation allows us to invest in the development of our employees and the acceleration of our technological capabilities, particularly in artificial intelligence. Having invested nearly 9 billion euros in data and technology, including the acquisitions of Sapient and Epsilon, we will invest a further 300 million euros in artificial intelligence over the next three years, both in terms of talent and technology, transforming the Groupe’s organisation into an Intelligent System.
In 2023, we also strengthened our position as an industry leader in ESG, as confirmed by the assessments of leading rating agencies. In addition, through WorkingWithCancer, we joined more than 1,500 of the world’s leading companies, government agencies and charities in our fight to eliminate the stigma of cancer in the workplace and better support employees with cancer and chronic illnesses.