Publicis Groupe promotes Pauly Grant to chief talent officer, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific

Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific has announced four key promotions from within the group including Pauly Grant (centre) to chief talent officer, Publicis Groupe APAC.

In addition to her duties as chief talent officer, Grant will continue to be responsible for ANZ’s human resource portfolio. Grant will focus on driving the region’s talent and culture strategy to support the group’s business strategy. She will work closely with the market chief talent officers and the Asia Pacific Executive Committee, and will report to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Asia Pacific, Publicis Groupe.

Grant joined Publicis Groupe ANZ 11 years ago and has progressed through several increasingly senior roles, a testament to Publicis Groupe’s inclusive and progressive environment for its people. As an innovative HR leader, Grant is committed to driving strategies that deliver important organisational change for the group’s people and business. In 2023, she was named one of ‘The 100 Human Resources Leaders to Know – Global 100 for HR’ by Human Resources Director (HRD) and lauded for leading the HR Team of the Year at the Australian HR Awards.

In support of Publicis Groupe ANZ’s continued focus on fostering an inclusive and enabling environment for all, Jessica Farrell (above left) has been elevated to general manager people and culture – diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) and Anushka Methananda (above right) has been promoted to operations and general manager people and culture – experience and performance.

Says Grant: “We are extremely fortunate to have such strong talent in our ANZ People team, and these promotions for Anushka and Jessica are well deserved. Anushka has recently taken on responsibility of performance and experience across Publicis Groupe ANZ, an important role to deliver high performance, opportunities, and the best workplace for our people. We are very lucky to have someone of her calibre in this role.

“Meanwhile, Jessica has done a phenomenal job in delivering change and improving our DE&I approach to ensure operational excellence. Both her and Anushka will bring strong leadership across the market, in partnership with the existing People Leadership team.”

In addition to Grant, other promotions within Publicis Groupe APAC include Martin Davie (top right), who has been promoted from managing director, international, Publicis Media Singapore, to head of performance, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. In his new role, Davie will focus on enhancing the group’s regional performance capabilities, ensuring superior client results and innovative service offerings, and instilling a performance-centric approach across the group’s operations. He reports to Ching Ian, CEO of PMX Asia Pacific, and Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.

Since joining Publicis Media Singapore in 2019 to lead Performics, Davie has leveraged his 18-year background in performance media in the UK, Australia, and Asia to drive exceptional client outcomes. Over the past three years, his leadership of the International Hub team has been key in helping global brands grow their business in the Asia Pacific market. In 2022, Davie was named one of Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40, highlighting his significant impact and leadership in the industry.

Jonathan Mackenzie (bottom left) has been promoted from managing director of Publicis Media Precision Asia Pacific to head of data solutions, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, he is responsible for the growth of data- driven products and solutions that power advertising transformation for the group’s clients, across both media and creative. Mackenzie reports to Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.

Mackenzie has over 20 years of experience in digital advertising.He spearheaded the launch of Publicis Media Precision in 2017, transforming programmatic capability across the region from a specialised central hub to dedicated teams in all markets, delivering impact to clients’ digital performance while driving growth in programmatic billings and revenues. He has also played a key role in regional and global new business wins including GSK, Singapore Tourism Board and AB InBev. He is an IAB Southeast Asia and India Member, 614 Group Advisor, and received his Certificate of Advertising from the IPA in 2008.

Joanna Ong (bottom right) has transitioned from her role as managing director of MSL Singapore to managing director, communications and PR, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore and Shanghai, she is responsible for communications in the region across the group and reports to Lin-Baden.

Ong is a senior communications practitioner with over 25 years of experience in reputation management, corporate and brand strategy, and communications. She started her public relations career at Ogilvy PR and Burson-Marsteller and later moved into in-house roles, heading Asia Pacific corporate and brand communications for hospitality conglomerates including IHG, Radisson Hotel Group and Hilton Worldwide. She returned to the public relations industry in 2021 to lead MSL Singapore’s transformation and growth. As a senior leader with experience working with global conglomerates and in international consultancies, she is adept at leading multi-brand, multi-market communications teams and developing strategies that enhance reputation and support enterprises in their growth strategies.

Says Lin-Baden: “We are delighted to be able to appoint our top talents from within our ranks who have demonstrated their capabilities into these key roles. This both underscores the breadth and depth of talent we have within the group and the fact that we are an organisation that recognises and rewards top talent with opportunities for growth and mobility. With these latest appointments, we are strengthening our core leadership team as we move ahead with our strategy to create even greater impact for clients and further elevate our position in the region.”