S4 Capital’s Media.Monks has named Justin Billingsley Chief Growth Officer. 

S4 announced the appointment in its first quarter earnings release earlier today. On a call with analysts Scott Spirit, Chief Growth Officer and executive director at S4 Capital said Billingsley “will be focused on driving new business with existing and new clients.” 

Billingsley is a 13-year Publicis Groupe veteran who lastly served there as CMO before abruptly leaving the company in October of 2022.  

It did not appear to be an amicable parting of the ways. At the time Publicis issued a terse two sentence statement: “We have ended Justin’s employment and he is now on garden leave. We won’t be making any further comment.”   

S4 noted that Billingsley was required to sit out for 18 months of garden leave (that is not work in the industry presumably due to a non-compete clause) before accepting the new role.  

He was appointed to the then new role of Global CMO at Publicis Groupe in 2020, as the firm was thinking about its position post pandemic.  

Earlier Billingsley led the Publicis Groupe region comprised of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Brazil and also held COO roles at Publicis Communications and Saatchi & Saatchi. 

Before joining the company, he held positions at Coca-Cola, Orange and Unilever.