Publicis expands COO role ahead of CEO succession

PARIS, (Reuters) - Publicis expanded the duties of Chief Operating Officer Jean-Yves Naouri to include running the company’s biggest advertising network, a sign he might be being groomed to succeed longtime CEO Maurice Levy.

Naouri will take over immediately as the head of Publicis Worldwide, which is present in 82 countries and has a staff of 9,000.  The new role, which is more operational in nature, will allow Naouri to round out his resume after 18 years at Publicis and have closer contact with the network’s big clients such as Airbus, Coca-Cola, Nestle and L’Oreal. Current CEO Maurice Levy, 68, has led Publicis for some 24 years and his contract was supposed to run through end-2011, but the Publicis board has asked him to stay longer to help pilot the group through the economic crisis and carry out its ambitious growth plan. There is now no set timetable for his departure. Publicis, which is one of the world’s big four advertising groups and competes with WPP and Omnicom, has carved out a leadership position in digital advertising in recent years and is seeking to expand its presence in emerging markets.