Jennifer Fischer, Chief Innovation & Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East.Title: Chief Innovation & Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe Middle East
Years in the role: 3 years
Years in the industry: 18 years
Years in the Middle East region: 18 years
Power Essay: Joyful leadership
This weekend I was in the car with my husband. He mentioned he’d added a new song to our playlist. Suddenly, the lyrics came through the speakers: “oh la la, la la la la la, life is a joke and death is a punchline.”
Not exactly the kind of lyric you’d expect to inspire a leadership philosophy. But for me, it does.
Because the truth is, life is fragile. It’s short. And often, it’s hard. That doesn’t depress me; it motivates me. Not to climb faster to the top, but to make the things I do every day more meaningful, more rewarding, for others as well as myself.
Work is, by definition, hard. You’re being paid to solve problems. But that doesn’t mean it has to feel heavy. Leadership, at its best, is about making things lighter.
For me, I call that joyful leadership.
I’ve learned a lot about it from marriage. This month, my husband and I celebrated twenty years since our first date. The foundation of those years has been trust. And in leadership, trust is equally underrated. It starts simply: showing up, being consistent, being there. You may not always have the answers, but your presence builds confidence.
From there, it’s about how you do things. Wholeheartedly. With care. With excitement. Because excitement is contagious. When you’re genuinely energised by what you’re doing, people want to be part of it. They don’t just go through the motions; they lean in.
Joyful leadership means lowering anxiety in the room. Using humour. Turning learning into an everyday habit instead of chasing perfection. Celebrating failures as much as successes. Creating space for people to play, to contribute, to disagree, to take risks. Encouraging boldness even when things don’t always go as planned.
“When you’re genuinely energised by what you’re doing, people want to be part of it.”
It’s a mindset of being ‘always in beta’. Like a game: what am I going to learn this week? What risk am I going to take? What new craft can I build? Step by step, that approach leads to bolder work, more daring ideas and greater fulfillment.
Of course, you can’t just tell people to lead that way; you have to model it. That means asking the questions you don’t know the answers to. Putting yourself in uncomfortable places. Taking risks that might stretch you thin. Growth is rarely comfortable, but it creates a virtuous cycle. The more you grow, the more motivated you feel, and the more you want to keep going.
To me, leadership isn’t about being perfect. It’s about imperfect people leading imperfect people, and choosing to do so with ambition, kindness
and a smile.
At the heart of it, becoming a better leader is inseparable from becoming a better person, one day, one risk, one smile at a time.
Highlight of the last year
This past year, my greatest pride has been building a team that feels both extraordinary and precious, each person bringing something unique. Together, we launched the second edition of Growth Club, introduced Lion X as our innovation program, accelerated AI experiences, and saw Publicis Groupe lead the industry in growth and retention.
Rapid fire
What the industry needs to talk more about:
Neuroscience.
What the industry needs to talk less about:
Self-evident truths.
What’s one thing about you that would surprise your team?
I stopped eating chocolate.
What mobile application can you not live without?
Google Maps.
What word / phrase do people remember you for using the most?
“What can we learn from this?”
What’s one local / regional tradition that you love the most?
The majlis culture.
If you could choose any two people, currently alive, in the world to share a meal with you, who would it be?
Fincher and Tarantino.
What’s your top word of advice for Gen Z and Gen Alpha?
Do the hard things.
What’s your go-to comfort food?
Chocolate (I was kidding earlier).
What’s your favourite ad from the past 12 months?
Jellycat social content is adorable.
