• by Fern Siegel , May 31, 2022

Chris Kay has been named CEO of Publicis Group UK’s creative practice.

In that capacity, he will oversee Saatchi & Saatchi, Digitas, Leo Burnett, Publicis•Poke, Octopus, PGOne and Turner Duckworth. 

Lay reports to Annette King, CEO of Publicis Groupe UK.

In addition to his new post, Kay retains his role as CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. He joined Publicis Groupe from 72andSunny in October 2021.

At 72andSunny, he was a global partner, first in the Los Angeles office, before setting up its Asia Pacific outpost. During his tenure in LA, the agency won Google, adidas, Instagram and Starbucks accounts.

Prior to that, Kay was based at BMF in Sydney, Australia, where he was a managing partner. He has also worked at Fallon, and began his ad career at TBWA 22 years ago.

Annette King, CEO of Publicis Groupe UK, said: “In the space of just a few months leading Saatchi & Saatchi, Chris has set out a clear vision for the agency, creating a new ‘squad’ structure and leading a number of new business wins including Churchill and Siemens. Working with the talented line-up of agency leaders, I know he’ll do a fantastic job in leading the practice as well as the agency.”

Publicis Groupe UK is a marketing and digital transformation business, employing 5,000 people across 23agencies.