Publicis Groupe joins more than 150 Companies to Make Unprecedented Commitment to Advance Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace

Publicis Groupe has signed onto the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ pledge, the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. The initiative was collectively formed and is led by a steering committee of CEOs and leaders from Accenture, BCG, Deloitte US, The Executive Leadership Council, EY, General Atlantic, KPMG, New York Life, P&G and PwC. Originally signed by Maurice Lévy, today Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Publicis Groupe continues to support the pledge through the commitment of Arthur Sadoun, Chairman & CEO.

As a unique collaborative group of more than 150 CEOs from the world’s leading companies, Publicis Groupe has agreed to take action to cultivate a workplace where different points of view are welcomed and employees feel encouraged to discuss tough issues at work. Publicis Groupe has been an active participant in the commitment since its launch in June 2017, contributing 6 best practices to the community's platform, and pledging to implement and expand unconscious bias education and cultivating a workplace that supports open dialogue on the complex conversations surrounding diversity & inclusion.

Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner, Member of the Directoire and Secretary General of Publicis Groupe commented: “When Maurice Lévy signed the pledge on behalf of Publicis Groupe earlier this year, he reconfirmed Publicis Groupe’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. Today, Arthur Sadoun is continuing on this commitment, which he has entrusted to me. Our motto Viva la Difference! has always been about celebrating the work that allows our clients to stand out from their competitors and gain market share. But it is also a celebration of our talent and the diversity reflected in their demographics, background, culture, life experiences and thoughts. Diversity isn’t just an ambition for the future at Publicis Groupe. It’s something we work to make a reality, every day, for the good of our people, our organization and our clients. For us, acting and working as a progressive company isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity. The only way we can truly accompany our clients as they look to transform their marketing and business models is to build an organization that is as diverse and as varied as their consumers.”

As part of the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™, Publicis Groupe has committed to the following actions:

1. Sharing of best practices with the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ community
2. Implement and expand unconscious bias education
3. Continue to cultivate workplaces that support open dialogue on complex, and sometimes difficult, conversations about diversity and inclusion.

In the last three months, Publicis Groupe has taken several steps to place equality and diversity as top priorities for the Directoire. This pledge follows the Groupe’s commitment in June 2017 to the Unstereotype Alliance, a coalition of 20 companies and institutions, under the aegis of UN Women, whose goal is to work together to stop stereotypes in each country and culture, and the announcement in August 2017 that Anne-Gabrielle Heilbronner, member of the Directoire, would also take on the responsibility of the Groupe’s CSR activity and the Women’s Forum. The Women’s Forum 2017 will take place from October 5-6, 2017 in Paris.

To read more about the pledge, visit the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ unified hub, CEOAction.com. We encourage you to visit this hub today to learn more about the effort to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace and to get involved.

To learn more about the initiatives Publicis Groupe is taking in diversity & equality, we invite you to read the latest issue of the Talent Engagement & Inclusion Quarterly.