AD Agencies
Shahir Zag is jury president of outdoor lotus at AdFest 2014
BANGKOK: ADFEST is pleased to announce that Shahir Zag, Chief Creative Officer at Y&R MENA in Dubai, is joining next year’s festival as Jury President of the Outdoor Lotus category.
A passionate typographer, designer, poet and creative sage, Zag has been instrumental in turning the creative spotlight onto the Middle East since moving to Dubai from Mumbai in 1997.
In 2012, he was ranked #1 copywriter, #1 art director and #2 Chief Creative Officer in the world by the Big Won Report, an annual global report tracking the award performance of agencies.
“I’m really kicked about the ‘Co-create’ theme at ADFEST this year. Doing great creative is no longer a writer-art director thing. It’s evolved into a wonderfully collaborative process. More and more, we’re seeing the influence of in-house producers and editors, artists, inventors, consumers, and interns doing social at two in the morning. It’s great that ADFEST as a festival is celebrating this. The APAC region is exciting for me because it’s brimming with great human stories and the creatives here are fearless in their telling,” says Zag.
Zag’s writing, design, and art direction have won trophies at ANDY, Art Directors Club, Cannes Lions, Clio, One Show, D&AD, London International, and New York Festivals.
He is also a prolific blogger, whose website shahirzag.com is full of pearls of wisdom such as, ‘The fear of being boring is a great motivator’ exquisitely expressed in perfectly kerned typefaces.
Zag was promoted to the role of Chief Creative Officer, Y&R MENA, in 2010. He moved to Dubai after four years working at agencies in India, including Lowe Enterprise Bombay.
“It’s not often you meet a prodigy like Shahir, who is a major creative force in the Middle East and beyond. It’s an honour to welcome him to ADFEST 2014 as Jury President of the Outdoor Lotus category,” says Jimmy Lam, President of ADFEST.
ADFEST 2014 takes place on 6th – 8th March 2014 at the Royal Cliffs Hotel Group in Pattaya, Thailand.
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AD Agencies
Publicis posts €4.19bn Q1 revenue, 6.4 per cent growth; backs FY outlook
Ad giant signals Q2 acceleration as AI and new deals power momentum
PARIS: Publicis Groupe continues to outperform the industry, delivering a strong start to 2026 under Chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun. Despite a volatile global macro environment, the company has now outpaced the industry for nearly 20 consecutive quarters.
For Q1 2026, total revenue reached €4,191 million, up from €4,161 million last year, with organic growth of 6.4 per cent. Net revenue, which excludes pass-through costs, stood at €3,460 million, reflecting organic growth of 4.5 per cent.
Exchange rates had a negative impact of €268 million, mainly due to a weaker US dollar and pound sterling. Acquisitions, including Adge.AI and 160over90, contributed an additional €46 million.
Performance across regions was largely positive, with some variation:
- North America, accounting for 59 per cent of net revenue, grew 4.7 per cent
- Europe recorded growth of 3.9 per cent, led by the UK at 6.2 per cent, while France grew 1.6 per cent
- Asia Pacific posted 5.9 per cent growth, driven by China at 11.7 per cent
- Latin America grew 13.3 per cent
- Middle East and Africa declined 5.1 per cent due to geopolitical challenges
AI-powered marketing services, which now make up 86 per cent of the business, grew 5.6 per cent. However, the technology segment, representing 14 per cent of revenue, declined slightly as clients reduced spending on large-scale transformation projects.
Sharing his outlook, Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun said, “Publicis had a very strong start to the year, outperforming the industry for almost 20 quarters in a row despite the volatile macro environment. Organic revenue growth reached 6.4%, leading to 4.5% in net and further increasing the gap with our peers.” He added that the company remains confident of delivering industry-leading performance. “We are confirming our industry-leading organic growth guidance of 4 to 5%, with the 4% rock solid, and a sequential organic growth acceleration in Q2 despite a higher comparable.”
Publicis continued its expansion with the acquisition of Adge.AI in March, followed by 160over90 in April to strengthen its sports and culture marketing capabilities.
Net financial debt stood at €1,156 million at the end of March, reflecting a seasonal shift from the net cash position at the end of 2025. Average net debt over the past twelve months was €1,035 million.
The company has reaffirmed its full-year guidance, expecting net revenue organic growth of 4 to 5 per cent in 2026. It also anticipates an operating margin slightly above 18.2 per cent and free cash flow of approximately €2.1 billion.
With expectations of stronger performance in the second quarter, Publicis remains well positioned to sustain its growth momentum.
