Publicis Groupe Hong Kong names CEO

Publicis Groupe Hong Kong has appointed Tom Kao as CEO. In his new role, Kao will be responsible for the 13 agencies under the Publicis Groupe Hong Kong umbrella, includes Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Publicis.Sapient, Luminous, MSL, Digitas, Arc, Blue 449, Performics, Spark Foundry, Starcom and Zenith, altogether leading more than 400 employees. He will report to Publicis Communications Greater China CEO Michael Lee and is starting immediately.Kao will work closely with the Greater China leadership team to drive integration across Publicis Groupe’s capabilities, transform its relationship with existing clients, win the trust of new ones, and cultivate the best talent across its agencies and disciplines. The larger aim is to mobilise talent and resources to achieve the best performance possible within the Groupe for each campaign and every client.  Before joining Publicis Groupe, Kao was CEO at The Gate Hong Kong. He also held core leadership positions at Y&R, BBDO, and JWT previously. Kao has more than 20 years of management experience and has been at the forefront of the Greater China Region’s advertising industry developments.Lee commented, “Tom’s appointment is the natural next step for the Groupe in Hong Kong. Over the last couple of years, we have seen several fruitful collaborations between our agencies and the Hong Kong staff is working closely under one roof. Tom’s extraordinary expertise in management is an asset in this ever-evolving market. I have full confidence that he will help us continue to carve out ways to amplify our The Power of One strategy and approach.”Kao said, “There are many prestigious agencies within Publicis Groupe’s Solution hubs, all with their distinctive cultures. We are truly proud of this diversity and the strength that each agency brings to the Groupe. Working together, we can break the rules of the traditional agency model to achieve the best results for our clients."