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Publicis Group extends Maurice Levy's reign announcing that he is to stand down in 2017

Publicis CEO Maurice Levy is to stand down from leading the company in 2017, longer than originally planned. 

Levy is set to depart the global marketing services group in 2017, having originally been expected to exit the company next year.

The announcement came as part of an internal management reshuffle which will see Starcom MediaVest CEO Laura Desmond, Steve King, CEO of ZenithOptimedia, Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Worldwide and Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Strategist of Publicis Groupe all joining the board of directors. Already on the board are Lévy, Chairman, Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner, Kevin Roberts and Jean-Michel Etienne.

A statement from the company, explained: "These initiatives will lead the way for a new generation at the helm of the Groupe. Its mission will be the seamless implementation of the changes required to optimize the use of Groupe resources and its transformation into a hybrid company of the new era: an alchemy of talents offering advertisers the strategic, creative and technological solutions they need to progress, both in terms of image and of growth, in a world of constant upheaval generated by technological innovations."

Roberts, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, will become executive chairman of Saatchi's and Fallon and head coach of Publicis Groupe, where he will be charged with inspiring and motivating its leadership. 

A global Razorfish brand will be created with the merging of Razorfish and Rosetta, under the responsibility of CEO, Tom Adamski, reporting alongside DigitasLBi CEO, Luke Taylor to the groupe chairman and CEO.

Frank Voris, CEO of VivaKi, has been promoted to CEO of Re:sources  with overall responsibility for the Groupe's shared service centers and internal IT. He will also be tasked to supervise the Publicis production platform, Prodigious. 

In succession, Robert Senior will be appointed as CEO and Chris Foster as COO of the Saatchi & Saatchi/Fallon network. Both have proved their weight in their previous responsibilities.

The decision by Levy will be a surprise, with the 72-year-old having previously set a deadline of New Year’s Eve for a successor to be ready to take over prior to the collapse of the company’s merger with Omnicom earlier this year, which would have seen him become co-CEO with John Wren, CEO of Omnicom for an 18-month period before standing down.

In July 2013, Levy spoke to The Drum about succession plans within Publicis after over four decades. 

Featured by The Drum