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    Rich Stoddart named CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide; Tom Bernardin Moves to Chairman Role

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    01/28/2016, Paris

    Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Communications, announced today an important leadership transition at Leo Burnett Worldwide.

    Effective February 1, 2016, Rich Stoddart, 52, will take over as CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide. Rich’s current role is CEO of Leo Burnett North America and he will continue in that post. Tom Bernardin, 62, currently Chairman and CEO, will remain Chairman through June 2017. Both Bernardin and Stoddart also serve on the Publicis Communications ComEx and Stoddart is one of the U.S. country leads for the new organization led by Sadoun.

    “Leo Burnett is a leading force within Publicis Communications. We want to make sure that this brand and its unique culture are stronger than ever as we pursue our ultimate goal - to be the indispensable creative partner to our clients,” Sadoun said. “Maurice Lévy and I are both confident that Rich is the best person to incarnate Leo Burnett on this new journey and lead the teams to great successes for our clients and our agencies. And we know we can count on Tom and his wealth of experience to actively help the Publicis Communications ComEx achieve its objectives.”

    Bernardin joined Leo Burnett Worldwide as CEO in 2004 and the following year hired Stoddart back to the agency to run Leo Burnett Chicago. Under Stoddart’s leadership, Leo Burnett North America has seen significant growth and client acquisition, strong integration and collaboration across business units including Arc, Lapiz and Rokkan while delivering some of the most effective and integrated campaigns for clients including Allstate, GM, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, P&G and Samsung.

    “Rich Stoddart is an incredibly talented business leader, a tremendous champion for creativity and talent and my obvious successor,” said Bernardin. “I’m very proud, after 11 years, to have been the longest serving Chairman and CEO of Leo Burnett Worldwide since Leo Burnett the man. After 40 years in the business, it is the perfect time to pass the reins to Rich. As Chairman of Leo Burnett, I will assist both Rich and Arthur in the continued success of Leo Burnett and of the new Publicis Communications.”

    “I’m so energized by the opportunity to lead this global company and the amazing talent within it during a time of unprecedented change, opportunity and reinvention,” Stoddart said. “In partnership with Arthur and Tom, we will deliver upon the promise and potential of Leo Burnett – ‘the best in the world bar none.’ To me this means the very best talent, the very best work and the very best business results for our clients.”

    Stoddart will remain based in Chicago, the global headquarters of Leo Burnett.

    ABOUT PUBLICIS COMMUNICATIONS

    Publicis Communications is one of the four solutions hubs of Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] alongside Publicis Media, Publicis.Sapient and Publicis Healthcare. Publicis Communications unites the Groupe’s creative offering: Publicis Worldwide, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, Fallon, Marcel, Prodigious, a global production leader, and MSLGROUP, specialized in strategic communications. Present in 20 markets, Publicis Communications aims to be the indispensable creative partner in their clients’ transformation. Publicis Communications draws upon the expertise of over 30,000 employees.

    About Leo Burnett Worldwide

    Leo Burnett Worldwide believes in using creativity to drive dynamic business change for its clients. Through a HumanKind approach to marketing, the agency puts a brand’s purpose at the center of communications to transform human behavior. Part of Publicis Communications and the Publicis Groupe, Leo Burnett Worldwide works with some of the world’s most valued brands including Coca-Cola, Fiat, Kellogg’s, Kraft, McDonald’s, Nintendo, P&G and Samsung, among others. For the past six years, Leo Burnett has been ranked #1 in "New World Thinking" by The Gunn Report and was named an Agency to Watch on Advertising Age's 2015 A-List. To learn more about Leo Burnett Worldwide and its rich, 80-year history of creating iconic brands, visit our site, Facebook page and follow us via @leoburnett.

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