Publicis Groupe has promoted Magnus Djaba, its current global president of Saatchi & Saatchi, to the new role of global chief client officer.

The London-based Djaba will report directly to Publicis Groupe chariman and CEO Arthur Sadoun in his new role, and will join the Publicis Groupe Management Committee. Publicis said Djaba would be responsible for “coordinating and ensuring seamless access to Publicis Groupe’s best-in-class capabilities in data, creativity, media and technology for all of its global clients.”

Djaba has been global president of Saatchi & Saatchi since 2017, after being promoted to CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi London in 2011. Prior to that, he was managing director of Fallon London. Additionally, since July 2020, Djaba has been CEO of Publicis Groupe UK’s creative practice, comprising Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, Digitas, Publicis Poke, PGOne, Octopus Group and Turner Duckworth, reporting to CEO of Publicis Groupe U.K. Annette King. 

Djaba’s new role as chief client officer will also include responsibilities previously overseen by Ros King, the Groupe’s executive vice president, global clients. According to a statement from the agency, King is stepping back to spend the next part of her career focused on leadership development and coaching.

“Magnus is an outstanding leader, with a deep understanding of our clients’ business needs,” Sadoun said in a statement. “With our global client organisation, he will be instrumental as we go faster and deeper in delivering tailor-made solutions to our clients across marketing services and business transformation, to help them win in a platform world."

"I would like to warmly thank Ros for everything she has helped us achieve in the past years, and for everything she will continue to do as part of the Publicis family, having kindly agreed to play a vital role in developing and mentoring our next generation of leaders,” he added.

Djaba, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, is also on the English Premier League’s equality panel, and is a strong advocate of diversity equity and inclusion in his roles as a mentor at Apprentice Nation and Marketing Academy. He is chair of the Marketing Group of Great Britain. 

“The pandemic has in many ways accelerated the future on its journey towards us, and has undoubtedly increased the opportunities and responsibilities of businesses and brands in the platform world in which we operate," he stated. "There’s no better time to partner with our clients to help them deliver on the possibilities that lie ahead. Our pledge is to help our clients win in a platform world—that’s what I’m here to do.”

The promotion comes on the heels of a series of major wins for Publicis (although it lost out to WPP in the massive Coca-Cola agency review announced last week). Publicis Groupe has recently won media business for Facebook parent company Meta, Walmart, Stellantis, Inspire Brands and L’Oréal China, as well as creative briefs from the likes of TikTok. The holding company last month announced that its revenue rose 11.2% in the third quarter on an organic basis.