Naouri shakes up Publicis Worldwide creative leadership

By Daniel Farey-Jones, campaignlive.co.uk, Monday, 19 September 2011 05:15PM

Former TBWA\Paris ECD Erik Vervroegen is to join Publicis Worldwide to strengthen its creative output as part of a return by new network chief Jean-Yves Naouri to a collegiate system.

Erik Vervroegen: international creative director at Publicis Worldwide

Naouri, who was appointed executive chairman in March, has appointed Vervroegen to oversee creative in all countries outside France, the USA, Australia and New Zealand as one of four members of a new creative board.

He joins on 1 October and will also lead creative on the global Ray-Ban business.

The creative board also includes Olivier Altmann, who had been appointed global creative director in November 2009 but will now focus on France as co-president of Publicis Conseil and chief creative officer of Publicis France.

Prior to Altmann's appointment the network had not had a chief creative officer since Dave Droga stepped down from the role in January 2006.

The two remaining board members, Kevin Roddy, chief creative officer of US agency Publicis & Hal Riney, and Craig Davis, co-chairman and chief creative officer of Publicis Mojo Australia and New Zealand, will oversee their countries.

The board will be chaired by Publicis Worldwide managing director Arthur Sadoun.

Belgian-born Vervroegen comes to the agency from San Francisco-based Goodby Silverstein & Partners, which he joined in 2009.

He has won more than 70 Cannes Lions and is the only creative director in the history of the Cannes Festival to win agency of the year honours for four successive years.

Naouri said: "Erik's arrival is a strong signal of our desire to bring the best talent on board and work collaboratively with the common goal of making Publicis Worldwide one of the most creative networks in the world."

This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk