Activity report 2025
In 2025, the main work of the Lead Director was as follows:
| Main work completed in 2025 | |
|---|---|
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Relations with Executive Management |
Relations with Executive Management Main work completed in 2025 The Lead Director regularly discussed the organization of governance with Executive Management. He organized and led a meeting with the heads of the various Corporate functions to discuss the current key topics. |
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Preparation of Board meetings |
Preparation of Board meetings Main work completed in 2025 The Lead Director was consulted in advance on the agendas of each Board of Directors’ meeting. He attended all meetings of the Board and the Committees of which he is a member. |
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Assessment of the Board and Committees |
Assessment of the Board and Committees Main work completed in 2025 He supervised the assessment process of the Board and its Committees for financial year 2025. In this context, he reviewed the draft questionnaire to be submitted to the Directors. He conducted individual interviews with Directors who so wished. He reported on these items to the Board of Directors in early 2026.. |
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Prevention of conflicts of interest |
Prevention of conflicts of interest Main work completed in 2025 In 2025, the Lead Director did not have to deal with any conflicts of interest within the Board of Directors. |
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Executive sessions |
Executive sessions Main work completed in 2025 He organized and led two meetings between Independent Directors. The main conclusions of these meeting were brought to the attention of the Board of Directors at its meeting of November 26, 2025. |
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Governance |
Governance Main work completed in 2025 The Lead Director was involved in the thinking and development of the succession plan for the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and key executives. He actively contributes to this work in his role on the Nominating Committee. This involvement is also strengthened by exchanges held outside formal governance bodies, particularly during executive sessions. |
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Discussions with shareholders |
Discussions with shareholders Main work completed in 2025 He was informed of the conclusions of the meetings organized with certain institutional investors and contributed to the shareholder dialogue on governance-related topics. |
3.1.1.5 Emeritus Chairman
Pursuant to the option provided for by the Company’s Articles of Incorporation and its internal rules and regulations, the Board of Directors may appoint an Emeritus Chairman who is a natural person and former Chairman of the Board of Directors or of the Supervisory Board.
On May 29, 2024, the Board of Directors, on the advice of the Nominating Committee, decided to appoint Mr. Maurice Lévy, former Chairman of the Supervisory Board, as Emeritus Chairman for an indefinite period, enabling the Company to continue to benefit from his talent, energy and experience.
Biography of the Emeritus Chairman
Mr. Maurice Lévy joined Publicis Groupe in 1971 as IT Director. In 1975, he was appointed Executive Vice-President of Publicis Conseil, the Groupe’s flagship, working his way up to his appointment as Chairman of the Management Board in 1987. He held this role for 30 years, until the General Shareholders’ Meeting of May 2017, when he was appointed as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Publicis Groupe SA. He steered the accelerated globalization of the Groupe starting in 1996. In 2001, Publicis Groupe’s globalization picked up more steam with the acquisition of Saatchi & Saatchi, then Bcom3 (Leo Burnett, Starcom, MediaVest, etc.) in 2002. The move into the digital world began with the acquisition of Digitas (2006), followed by Razorfish (2009), and Rosetta (2011). The acquisition of Sapient in early 2015 opened new avenues for Publicis beyond its core business into marketing, omnichannel commerce and consulting.
Mr. Maurice Lévy co-founded the Institut français du cerveau et de la mœlle épinière (ICM) in 2005 and today chairs the Board of Directors of numerous organizations, including the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, and, since October 2015, the Institut Pasteur-Weizmann. He has also received numerous distinctions for his work and his fight for tolerance. He is Grand Officier de la légion d’honneur and Grand officier de l’ordre national du mérite.
Missions and prerogatives of the Emeritus Chairman
Pursuant to the internal rules and regulations of the Board of Directors, the Emeritus Chairman may attend the meetings of the Board of Directors in an advisory capacity only.
Mr. Maurice Lévy shares with the Board his experience, his expertise, his intimate knowledge of the Groupe and his privileged relationships with the Groupe’s key contacts in France and around the world.
In addition to his duties as Emeritus Chairman, Mr. Maurice Lévy chairs an innovation and prospective working group. This group, which is separate from the Board Committees, is composed of three Independent Directors, three members of the Executive Committee and the Secretary General of Publicis Groupe. This is an internal think tank on topics related to innovation and strategic options for the future. The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is informed of its work, which continued in 2025. This specific mission, entrusted to Mr. Maurice Lévy, is part of the service agreement entered into with the Company, approved by the Board of Directors.