This story was updated at 13:30 on Dec. 10, 2013
Duncan Bruce promoted to president, CCO for Publicis Canada
Andrew Bruce, CEO of Publicis Canada, has been named president and CEO of Publicis Worldwide, North America.
L-R Andrew Bruce, Publicis Canada chair Yves Gougoux, Duncan Bruce
It was announced Tuesday morning that Bruce will maintain his current executive role at Publicis Canada and will assume the new role on Jan. 1. He will be relocating from Toronto to New York.
It was also announced that Duncan Bruce has been promoted within Publicis Canada. Most recently executive creative director at the communications group, he has been appointed its president and chief creative officer.
In Andrew Bruce’s new position, he will be in charge of North American initiatives for Publicis Worldwide, including the integrated business services of offices in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Indianapolis. He will also lead work in Canadian operations in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Windsor.
Speaking with Marketing, Bruce said that the North American group is a newly formed entity. “Until now, Publicis North America as a region hasn’t existed,” he said, with Publicis Canada and Publicis U.S. reporting into Paris independently. “It’s not a complete merger of the [U.S. and Canadian] entities, but it’s being able to take a bird’s eye view of all of the things that we have available… The idea was to bring the region together so we can leverage tools and talent and bring a whole lot more to our clients as a result of the partnership.”
Related
• Gougoux sells BCP to Publicis
• Rogers launches creative agency review
Maurice Levy, president and CEO of Publicis Groupe, said in a release that “the foundation has been set” through a close partnership with chairman of Publicis Canada’s board, Yves Gougoux, and the Canadian team.
“It’s the perfect time to leverage our assets and galvanize our efforts,” said Levy. “We’re very pleased to provide Andrew with the opportunity to lead Publicis Worldwide’s North American charge, and confidant that great things are to come.”
Publicis Worldwide president and CEO Arthur Sadoun said that as the company’s newly appointed North American lead that Andrew Bruce, in concurrently maintaining his Canadian role, “will ensure the talent and resources of our North American teams are curated with our clients’ best interests front and center.”
Bruce said he will spend most of his time in New York from now on, but hopes to spend a couple of days every other week in Canada with clients and staff. “To be honest, my heart’s [at Publicis Canada]; I joined the place [in 1999] when it was a feisty upstart.”
Commenting on his brother’s new position, Bruce said that Duncan’s role as CCO is an entirely new one at Publicis Canada, “and it’s to send a specific message, quite frankly, around the absolute importance of creativity within the agency… Duncan’s been an incredible partner in helping build the agency.”
Adding the president’s title to his role, Duncan will be running the day-to-day business of the agency. To that end, more announcements will be forthcoming about changes at the agency stemming from today’s news. “We’re going to enhance our creative and strategic and digital resources,” said Andrew Bruce. “Duncan is going to put more talent in place and bolster up our offering. That’s his primary mandate coming out of the gate.”
These executive shifts come as Publicis Group SA awaits approvals for its proposed merger with fellow global holding company Omnicom Inc.
“What Publicis/Omnicom Group will have is strong and storied brands that will continue to compete with one another,” said Bruce.
It was also announced Tuesday that Susan Gianinno, currently CEO of U.S. operations for Publicis Worldwide, has been named chairman of Publicis North America.
