MAM
Publicis Media creates future-focused NexGen board, to drive transformation
MUMBAI: Publicis Media has created a next generation board which will work with the company’s global executive group to address opportunities and drive transformation across the company.
Board members have the full support from local and global leadership, providing a real opportunity to influence the direction of all brands and practices within Publicis Media, challenge the status quo and implement global initiatives and projects
Launched across 15 markets – US, UK, Nordics, MENA, Singapore, DACH, Italy, India, Mexico, Australia, Poland, China, Russia, UK, Spain and France – the aim is to foster a spirit of collaboration across a group of high-performing individuals from around the world.
Each local board comprises of 8 -15 employees identified as future leaders and representing diverse skillsets. They will work together to architect and activate medium to long-term deliverables that increase employee engagement and advance Publicis Media’s Trust, Talent and Transformation vision.
A survey by Delloitte of over 7,700 millennials (those born after 1982) across 29 countries who are in full-time employment, found that millennials believe businesses need to do more to bridge the gap between current leadership and the new generation of business leaders. This effort looks to deliver on this front while also more deeply harnessing this group’s perspective for agency and client benefit.
Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media, said, “Our next generation of leaders are the future of this company. It is vital that they play a significant role in creating Publicis Media’s future, from both a talent and client perspective. The launch of the next generation board is about challenging and disrupting how we currently do things, to the benefit of all stakeholders. We had our first global board meeting earlier this month, which ran in parallel with the global Publicis Media board, and we were incredibly impressed with the proposals that were presented, some of which we have already started to adopt. The energy and new perspectives that they bring are fundamental to our ongoing transformation and success.”
“The next generation board infuses fresh thinking into the organisation and brings forward proposals and opportunities that are truly creative, innovative, collaborative and path-breaking. The Publicis premise of ‘Power Of One.’ resonates through this landmark initiative which cuts through regions, markets and boundaries.” says Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Media India.
Representatives from each of the local boards will meet four times a year to work on delivering specific global initiatives. The first of these meetings took place earlier this month and the company is already acting on the proposal by next generation board to harmonise communication across all global talent through the use of innovative new mobile technologies.
Here’s what the Next Gen Board across the Asia Pacific thought:
Tanushree Radhakrishnan, Managing Partner, Performics.Resultrix in India says, “It was an absolutely brilliant and enriching experience to collaborate with the sharpest minds from 15 countries and work on the organisational challenges. It was exciting that I could actually present my thoughts to the Global Executive Group and work towards bringing a real change at a local and global level. I am honoured to be a part of the very first Next Generation Board and I am really looking forward to the implementation of our proposal.”
“I found the idea behind the Next Gen Board rather revolutionary. This is a cool initiative by the company in its thoughts and actions to want a bold, disruptive change transforming employee engagement. The experience of being in London working on everyday challenges our company was facing and presenting our honest feedback/solutions to the global leadership team who listened and stayed open was phenomenal,” said Joanne Fu, Media Manager, Starcom Singapore.
“I think one of the best parts about the next generation board is the permission from the business to challenge the thinking, of not just our local executive group, but also the most senior leaders in our organisation. I get to work with the top talent across Publicis Media on a weekly basis to try and solve operational issues that are affecting the entire industry, that’s pretty unique. The hands-on experience and unprecedented access to senior leadership is something I am greatly looking forward to,” said Scott Ramsay Strategist Starcom Australia.
“This initiative further strengthened my faith in Publicis Media. I would have never imagined a day where a younger generation staff gets to propose changes to the company where it’s being implemented,” said Olivia Zhang, Senior Strategist, Publicis Media China.
Brands
Air Canada ceo to quit over “English-only” message after New York plane crash
English-only condolence video after fatal LaGuardia crash triggers outrage in Quebec and hastens succession
MONTREAL: Air Canada’s boss is heading for the exit after a linguistic misstep collided with a national faultline.
Michael Rousseau will retire by October, the airline said on Monday, days after a backlash over his English-only video tribute following a deadly crash involving an Air Canada Express jet in New York. The March 22 collision with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport killed two pilots and injured dozens, but Rousseau’s message, bookended only by “bonjour” and “merci”, ignited fury in French-speaking Quebec.
Mark Carney welcomed the departure, calling the video a “lack of judgment and lack of compassion”. “It is absolutely essential that his successor is completely bilingual,” he said in Toronto. “He did a good job technically as CEO but as the leader of an organisation you have broader responsibilities. It’s the right decision at the right time.”
The row quickly metastasised. Quebec’s National Assembly voted 92–0 for Rousseau to quit. More than 1,800 complaints flooded the federal languages watchdog. Even Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, a major shareholder, weighed in. “There is no doubt that the video should have been in both official languages.”
The symbolism cut deep. One of the dead pilots, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec. Language, long a live wire in the province, remains entwined with identity and politics, fuelling the separatist Parti Québécois ahead of an election due by October.
Rousseau, 68, had form. In 2021, soon after taking charge, he drew fire for delivering a Montreal speech largely in English and boasting he had lived there for years without speaking French. He apologised then and again last week, saying he was “deeply saddened” his limitations had “diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees.” He had logged more than 300 hours of French lessons since taking the helm in February 2021.
Operationally, his tenure was steadier. He steered Air Canada through the pandemic and its messy aftermath, though labour tensions, most notably a four-day cabin crew strike, dogged the recovery. Shares slipped more than 2 per cent after the news before trimming losses to about 1.2 per cent on the Toronto exchange.
The airline, bound by the Official Languages Act to serve customers in both English and French, said it is accelerating a succession plan already under way, with candidates to be judged in part on their French. Analysts say the next chief must pair operational discipline with strategic clarity amid fuel volatility, labour costs and fierce competition.
A dual crisis—metal on tarmac in New York and politics at home—has now claimed its most senior scalp. In Canada’s flag carrier, competence got Rousseau far. In the end, fluency finished the job.
