Omnicom & Publicis Management Meet for First Time

Omnicom Group Inc. and Publicis Groupe SA hosted their first joint Management Meeting in advance of the companies’ intended merger, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2014. 

 
In preparation for joining together, the companies also announced the creation of an integration planning committee that is working to define the work processes, as well as the mission for the combined company. Co-chaired by Wren and Lévy, the integration planning committee will also be tasked with identifying future enterprise-wide opportunities, synergies, centres of excellence, and specific integration teams to ensure an efficient and value-add future organization on “Day One.” 

 
Held in Miami from October 17-21, the meeting's purpose was to give Publicis Groupe and Omnicom executives the opportunity to get to know each other better both socially and professionally, and to begin to learn more about their respective networks and agencies. Seventy-four network agency heads, chief creative officers and other senior executives from Omnicom and Publicis Groupe attended the meeting. 
 

The spirit of the meeting was all about bonding and future collaboration. 

 
Over the four-day period, representatives from each organization attended large group plenary sessions, which featured presentations by networks and brands. The meeting also included smaller, break-out sessions to discuss common general objectives, as well as shared values and mission for the new company. 
 
 
John Wren, President and CEO, Omnicom said, “For many years, Omnicom and Publicis have admired and respected each other. As a result of this meeting, our firms now have a much better feel for our respective organizations - the people, the capabilities, the aspirations. While there are many steps still to be taken in order for our merger to close, we are pleased that this meeting accomplished its goal of beginning to plan future collaborations as potential colleagues and partners.” 
 

Maurice Lévy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe, added, “I have been impressed by the positive energy and spirit that came out of this meeting. All participants were highly motivated by the  prospect of the merger and worked enthusiastically and collaboratively toward planning for the success of the future group. 

 

Each presentation demonstrated the incredible talent, strength, quality of work, and expertise of each operation from all perspectives and particularly in their capacity of delivering innovation and creativity to clients. All participants who have been part of these intense four days of work can only be more confident of what lies ahead for the future of Publicis Omnicom Group."