• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, February 5, 2017

Publicis Groupe's Publicis.Sapient has appointed Nigel Vaz global president for DigitasLBi. In addition to leading Publicis.Sapient in Europe and Asia, Vaz will now oversee the global strategy and growth of DigitasLBi and will pull together the management structure in EMEA and APAC in a way the agency says will benefit clients throughout the region.

Of the appointment, Publicis.Sapient Co-CEO Alan Wexler said: “As clients transform to be digital-first and develop digitally driven business models, it’s critical we help them access capabilities and talent across our brands in order to deliver the outcomes at the speed they require. This will be a key objective for Nigel in his new role."

The appointment is part of the agency's effort to integrate its management structure. Alan Wexler and Chip Register were recently named co-CEOs of Publicis.Sapient, with Nigel Vaz reporting to them as CEO of Publicis.Sapient in EMEA and APAC. He will continue to report to Wexler and Register in this new role. In addition to those roles, Wexler will serve as the CEO of SapientRazorfish Register will serve as the CEO of Sapient Consulting and Vaz will serve as global president of DigitasLBi. Luke Taylor, who had served as global CEO of DigitasLBi, has decided to leave the organization.

Of the shift in management structure and his appointment, Vaz said, “I’m thrilled to step into this role to both strengthen DigitasLBi’s position as a marketing transformation partner and to create the highest levels of collaboration and organizational agility across all brands within Publicis.Sapient."

Outgoing Publicis Groupe Chairman & CEO Maurice Levy had nothing but kind words for the departing Taylor, saying:"I thank Luke warmly for his contributions to our development. He has helped grow our business  and innovate in new areas, and I wish him success in his future endeavors. With this nomination, we are completing the reorganization and the governance of our digital and technology assets under Publicis.Sapient and the leadership of co-CEO's Alan Wexler and Chip Register. I am sure that Nigel, with his strategic vision, will create a new momentum for DigitasLBi and build new growth."