Publicis Groupe has announced the appointment of Demet Ikiler as chief operating officer (COO) of Publicis Groupe EMEA.
Ikiler joins after over two decades at WPP where she was a member of GroupM’s global leadership team as CEO of GroupM EMEA and WPP Country chair, responsible for scaling and delivering more innovative cross-culture solutions for clients. Ikiler has been recognised by Fortune and The Economist as one of the ten most powerful female CEOs and as an Empower 100 Executives Role Model (2022).
Ikiler is also a board member at the United Nation Global Compact, leading its diversity and inclusion chapter. Prior to WPP, Ikiler worked at Zenith and Saatchi & Saatchi. She will join Publicis Groupe, reporting to Loris Nold and taking a position on the management committee.
Working closely with Nold, Ikiler will focus on creating a joined-up EMEA region, that drives collaboration cross-markets, strengthening connectivity and scaling expertise and capabilities for clients and opportunities for talent.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome such an outstanding leader and inspiring person as Ikiler to the Publicis family. I have been hoping to partner with her for years and cannot envisage a better way to take on our greater ambition for the EMEA region. She brings the unique combination of a proven track record in leading clients and operations at scale, as one of the most progressive leaders of the industry, with a thorough understanding of the EMEA ecosystem as well as a passion for equality, diversity and inclusion. I know she will be a change agent at Publicis Groupe. Demet and I will work very closely across client solutions, accelerating on capabilities and partnering with our country leaders as we drive even more collaboration and innovation within the EMEA region,” said, Loris Nold, CEO of Publicis Groupe EMEA.
Demet Ikiler, COO of Publicis Groupe EMEA, added: “It’s a huge pleasure, an honour and a great responsibility to join Publicis Groupe and such a strong team of progressive leaders. I really look forward to the opportunity to make an impact and accelerate across a region I know very well when it comes to markets, capabilities and talents. As we partner increasingly closer with our clients to drive business impact, the ability to operate across and leverage a wide variety of assets and skills, at scale, has been a compelling proposition for me. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has been a part of my life and this journey. I am certainly looking forward to delivering more and better, and I am excited about the new chapter ahead of me.”
