What you need to know
Governance and its evolution1.GOVERNANCE AND ITS EVOLUTION
MAURICE LÉVY
Emeritus Chairman
Mr. Maurice Lévy was appointed Emeritus Chairman by the Board of Directors on May 29, 2024. He holds an advisory role and shares with the Board his experience, expertise, deep understanding of the Groupe, and privileged relationships with major stakeholders in France and internationally.
General Shareholders’ Meeting of May 29, 2024 approved (by a 94.93% majority) the change in Publicis Groupe SA’s governance structure from a Supervisory Board and Management Board to a Board of Directors.
Upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee, the Board of Directors decided, at its meeting on May 29, 2024, to combine the roles of Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer.
Consequently, Mr. Arthur Sadoun, previously Chairman of the Management Board, was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, while Mr. Maurice Lévy, previously Chairman of the Supervisory Board, was appointed Emeritus Chairman, thus preserving the tandem formed by Mr. Arthur Sadoun and Mr. Maurice Lévy since 2017, a key factor in the Group’ success.
Combining the functions of Chair and Chief Executive Officer is the most appropriate organizational structure for Publicis Groupe’s current situation, its agility, its business sector, its geographical locations and the challenges it faces.
The Board considered that combining the roles of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer would make it possible to further improve the effectiveness of the management team, thanks to a responsive and agile governance system in its decision-making, under the impetus and control of the Board of Directors, while ensuring continuity in the governance of the Group, which has been at the heart of Publicis’ success since its creation.
This change was followed by appropriate measures to ensure balanced governance. These include the continuation of Mrs. Élisabeth Badinter as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, the reinforcement of Board Committees to improve the monitoring of the Company’s risks and strategy, and the creation of the role of Lead Director, held by Mr. André Kudelski.
Mrs. Élisabeth Badinter, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, contributes to ensuring balanced governance within the Group. Through her long experience and her essential contribution to all the work of the Board, she continuously ensures that the Group’s fundamental values are respected in the interest of its leading stakeholders, including the employees and shareholders.
Mr. André Kudelski, Lead Director, contributes to balanced governance and shareholder dialogue, enhances the organization of dialogue with and within the Board, and helps address potential conflicts of interest.
Detailed information on the roles and responsibilities of Publicis Groupe SA’s governance bodies is available in section 3.1.1 “Corporate governance” of the 2025 Universal Registration Document. 1
