• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, December 5, 2011

Bob Lord, the global CEO of Publicis digital shop Razorfish, has just been awarded a pocketful of additional responsibilities, which include replacing Laura Lang, the Digitas chief who just left for Time Inc, and heading a new team that will rethink the company's digital strategic vision.

In addition to running Razorfish, Lord now has oversight of four additional Publicis Groupe digital shops, including Digitas, Big Fuel, Denuo, and Phonevalley.

Lord is filling the breach left by the departure last week of Digitas global CEO Laura Lang. In addition to running those agencies, Lang had overseen the other shops that Lord will now manage as well. 

Lord, who will represent all five of those digital agencies on the VivaKi board of directors, has been tapped by Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Levy to convene a digital transformation team that will be tasked with developing a strategy to “accelerate digital capabilities, technology and talent for the entire Groupe.”

Nearly one-third (30%) of Publicis Groupe’s revenues are already derived from digital activities. The Lord-led transition team is expected to deliver its recommendations sometime in the first quarter of 2012.

The company indicated that Lord’s overflowing plate of responsibilities will be eased to some degree when a replacement for Lang as Digitas CEO is found. But that won’t happen until the strategy work of the digital transition team is completed, according to Jack Klues, CEO of VivaKi, the Publicis Groupe media management arm.

In the interim, Colin Kinsella, Digitas North American CEO and executive lead for all multinational client assignments, and Stephan Beringer, Digitas International CEO, will report directly to Lord and continue to run day-to-day operations while the Digitas CEO succession is finalized. 

“The digital agencies that sit inside VivaKi operate under the watch of talented executives who manage the operations and run their businesses,” quite well, said Klues. “Bob can inspire the networks. while also leading an exploration that will help us achieve more aggressive digital transformation of Publicis Groupe.”