Michael Rebelo appointed CEO for Publicis Communications ANZ; Andrew Baxter takes Chairman of Publicis Communications role; Melinda Geertz to CEO of Leo Burnett Australia

Following on from a series of country-level appointments around its network, Publicis Communications Global CEO, Arthur Sadoun has announced key leadership appointments in the Australia and NZ market.

Michael Rebelo (above) is appointed as CEO for Publicis Communications ANZ, in addition to his current responsibility as CEO for Saatchi & Saatchi Australia and New Zealand. He will report to Global Chief Operating Officer, Loris Nold, and will focus on driving transformation and ensuring that global and local clients are given full access to the Groupe’s expertise, talents and resources across Publicis Communications.

Andrew Baxter (left) is appointed as Chairman of Publicis Communications in addition to his current responsibility as CEO of Publicis Worldwide. He also reports to Nold and along with continuing to drive growth for clients, will focus on collaboration with other Publicis Groupe solutions hub, including Sapient Inside and the ramping up of Prodigious.

Melinda Geertz (below left) will take the newly created position of CEO for Leo Burnett Australia. Under Melinda’s leadership, Leo Burnett Melbourne has become one of the best agencies in Australia and in the world. Geertz will work closely with Rebelo to continue to grow the agency across Australia and ensure the right connectivity between the Melbourne and Sydney operations, led by Pete Bosilkovski.

Says Sadoun: “Australia and New Zealand are key markets for Publicis Communications; these appointments will allow us to further harness the Power of One to deliver to all of our clients seamless end-to-end solutions that draw on our world-class expertise and resources, no matter where they may be located. I know I can count on Mike, Andrew, Melinda and the teams to accelerate on the great momentum they’ve already been building through the recent wins of Tiger Beer global, H&R Block, Caltex, Spirit of Tasmania and Betfair, to name just a few.”

Adds Nold: “I am thrilled with the appointments of Mike, Andrew and Melinda. They are great leaders and thanks to them, our momentum is very strong in Australia and New Zealand. I am convinced that with all of them we will see great acceleration for the benefit of our clients.”