Publicis Groupe Middle East has appointed Chris Solomi as Chief Digital Officer, a newly created role that reinforces the Groupe’s ambition to advance its connected media ecosystem and marketing transformation capabilities across the region.
In this position, Solomi will oversee the scaling of Publicis Groupe’s identity and data proposition, helping clients unlock greater value through person-first intelligence. His remit also includes expanding the Groupe’s retail media offering and leading the rollout of Epsilon’s regional capabilities, which sit at the heart of its first-party data and identity strategy.
With over 20 years of experience spanning agency, supplier, and client-side leadership roles, Solomi brings a deep understanding of performance marketing, ad tech, programmatic, data, analytics and commerce. Having spent 14 years in the MENA region, including a decade at Omnicom Media Group where he most recently served as Chief Digital Officer, he has helped shape the regional digital landscape and previously held the position of Acting Vice Chairman at IAB MENA.
Commenting on his appointment, Chris Solomi said: “Publicis Groupe Middle East’s growth over the last five years has been remarkable, with acquisitions such as Epsilon, Lotame, Mars Company, Influential, and most recently Chain Reaction, uniquely positioning the Groupe to deliver solutions few others can. Joining the leadership team under Bassel Kakish was an opportunity I couldn’t resist. I’m particularly excited to grow the Connected Identity and AI business for our clients and bring together data, AI, and creative services to help them gain a genuine marketing advantage.”
Bassel Kakish, CEO of Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey, added: “Chris is a valuable addition to our leadership team. His experience across client, agency, and supplier sides gives him a unique perspective that will be critical as we continue to accelerate our connected media ecosystem and retail media proposition. We’re confident he will play an integral role in helping us deliver even greater value for clients as they pursue their transformation journeys.”
