The CEO of Publicis Groupe UK is to focus on talent as well as the All In framework.
Talent, trust, inclusion and climate action will be top of the agenda for Annette King, CEO of Publicis Groupe UK, in her new role as chair of the Advertising Association.
King takes this progressive baton, from Phillipa Brown, who successfully completed her three year-term, with the launch of collaborative cross industry initiatives Ad Net Zero and All In. She joins the Advertising Association at a pivotal time for the industry as it grapples with talent shortages and the climate crisis.
King joins the Advertising Association board where she will work closely with CEO Stephen Woodford and President Alessandra Bellini. Opening the Renew conference in January this year Bellini placed the talent crisis at the top of the industry and launched a talent taskforce.
She shared a shopping list to bring to life the practical steps the industry can make to help to address the talent crisis. The checklist included fair remuneration, a fulfilling career, strong values and integrity and the fact that you don’t need to ‘know someone’ to get on.
As CEO of Publicis Groupe, King has been on the front foot when it comes to taking practical steps to attract and retain talent. She has introduced flexible-working and a company-wide mental health programme, as well as a series of people-focused initiatives such as a menopause policy, wide-ranging family-friendly policies and disability and trans inclusion policies.
King is on the UK Investment Council and the Evening Standard Recovery Board. She is a mentor for the Marketing Academy, and an active member of Women in Advertising and Communications London (WACL), the Marketing Group of Great Britain and The Thirty Club.
Stephen Woodford, CEO of the Advertising Association, said: “She brings vast experience and strong work on creating a more inclusive workplace, an area especially relevant to us as we launch the next three actions of the All In Action Plan as well as announce our first wave of All In Champion organisations.”
He also extended his thanks to Philippa Brown for her “excellent work steering the industry through the pandemic and its extraordinary recovery.”
Annette King, Chair, Advertising Association and CEO of Publicis Groupe UK, added: “The AA is an impressive organisation with an agenda to drive change. The work the AA is doing on diversity and inclusion and climate change, and in other important areas, is very close to my heart and something I’m committed to accelerating. It’s an honour for me to represent the industry that I love, and to help ensure we continue to grow our influence and salience.”
King’s appointment comes at a time of unprecedented collaboration across the industry from the groundbreaking All In survey and action plan to Ad Net Zero. In the wake of the pandemic, the industry has embraced the opportunity to share learning to accelerate progress on the issues which matter most to the long term health and commercial and cultural success of the industry.
Philippa Brown, Outgoing Chair of the Advertising Association and Worldwide CEO of PHD, explained: “The three-year term as Chair has passed by quickly, disrupted in so many ways by the pandemic, but I know the AA, led by Stephen, is determined to make good on the industry’s promise to build back better and bring about meaningful change on many important areas. I urge every company in our industry to support the work as much as you can to ensure maximum uptake and impact to the benefit of all.”
Talent crunch, mental health and marketing that matters. Catch up on all the big stories from industry conference Renew 2022 here
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