Lots of companies may be frantically backtracking on DEI (it costs money strangely enough) but Publicis Groupe is doubling down in best market leader style with the appointment of Nannette LaFond-Dufour (below) as chief impact officer from McCann. At McCann she was chief client officer and the agency’s first chief sustainability lead.
Publicis says she will be responsible for driving impact across the Groupe’s long-term ESG commitments including its ambitious climate goals, diversity, equity and inclusion action plans plus flagship initiatives the Working with Cancer pledge and the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society.
It certainly looks a high level appointment as she will join the Groupe’s management committee and report direct to CEO Arthur Sadoun, the architect of its Working with Cancer programme. She will also work with Agathe Bousquet, president of Publicis France and directoire+ sponsor for ESG.
LaFond-Dufour says: “I deeply admire the work that Publicis has done to transform itself, demonstrating both the ability to anticipate the future and do the hard work required to prepare for it through tangible environmental and societal commitments. At this moment when evolution is the mandate on every front, I look forward to joining such a visionary, courageous and agile team.”
CEO Sadoun says: “Thanks to our transformation, we have been outperforming the industry on every business and financial KPI for the past four years. But we know that for our growth to be truly sustainable, on every front, it also needs to be responsible. That’s why we have also worked to lead the way through our best-in-class ESG initiatives.
“With Nannette on board and her proven expertise in delivering impactful change with some of the world’s biggest companies, we are confident we can take our ESG agenda even further, faster, for the good of our people, our clients, and our planet. “
Just what the creative department needs, another fucking opinion