posted: 84 DAYS 18 HOURS AGO
PARIS, September 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Publicis Groupe announced
today its acquisition of a majority stake in the Women's Forum for the
Economy and Society. Founded in 2005 by Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, the Women's
Forum for the Economy and Society is an independent global women's forum. It
is a hub of debate, sharing, brainstorming and action where women are given
pride of place for speaking out on all major societal issues that count today
and will count tomorrow. The 2008 Women's Forum was attended by 1,200
participants from 90 countries. In 2009, the Women's Forum will be focused
exclusively on preparing the Women's Forum Global Meeting in Deauville and
the Women's Forum Asia. The shared goal is to expand the scope of the Forum
as of 2010 to eventually cover all world regions.
Aude de Thuin will be staying on as Chairwoman of the Women's Forum.
Because the Forum is to remain autonomous, it will not be incorporated into
any of the Publicis networks. Overseeing it will be Olivier Fleurot, the CEO
in charge of public relations and event marketing for the entire Publicis
Groupe. The Women's Forum will be drawing on the skills of the Publicis
agencies with a PR and event marketing focus.
Aude de Thuin remains a shareholder and the Chairwoman of the Women's
Forum. The other minority shareholders and all the women members of the
Women's Forum Board will continue to provide their support and their energy
to ensure the ongoing success of the program. Aude de Thuin stated, "I am
delighted to be joining Publicis Groupe. This move marks a real turning point
for us, because it demonstrates the validity of our approach and the appeal
of our brand name. We will now have a higher profile and greater means to
expand internationally. With the backing of a global company like Publicis
Groupe, we can step up our growth and further enrich our programs to meet the
needs of our partners and participants more effectively."
"Aude de Thuin is a visionary who is both an entrepreneur and a leading
creator of international events. She has made the Women's Forum an
organization with real impact on current societal discussion. The Women's
Forum is an extremely important platform for debating, exchanging views and
engaging in discussion on issues that are relevant to both our core business
and the overall position of women in today's global world," commented Maurice
Levy, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe. "With our international conference
expertise, our close connection to brand names and our thorough understanding
of societal and market trends, we can help build up the Women's Forum and
enrich its content. Publicis Groupe has consistently promoted the role of
women in business. They make up 54% of our workforce, and the Publicis Groupe
Supervisory Board chaired by Elisabeth Badinter is comprised of 6 women out
of 15 Board members. I am delighted that Aude and all the other women on the
Women's Forum Board will be staying on to keep this exciting organization
moving forward. It will be highly challenging, but also extremely gratifying
to have them as genuine partners to our group."
Rated one of the top five global forums worldwide in 2007 by The
Financial Times, the Women's Forum will be holding its fifth annual meeting
in Deauville on October 15-17th. The program for 2009 highlights the
challenges of our times and features personalities whose talents, efforts or
ideas put them in an ideal position to speak out on the theme, "Think again,
think ahead! It is time for action, change and hope."
About Publicis Groupe
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris: FR0000130577] is the world's fourth
largest communications group. In addition, it is ranked as the world's second
largest media agency, and is a global leader in digital and healthcare
communications. With activities spanning 104 countries on five continents,
the Groupe employs approximately 43,000 professionals. Publicis Groupe offers
local and international clients a complete range of advertising services
through three global advertising networks, Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi &
Saatchi, and two multi-hub networks, Fallon and 49%-owned Bartle Bogle
Hegarty. Media consultancy and buying is offered through two worldwide
networks, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia; and interactive and
digital marketing led by Digitas. Publicis Groupe recently launched VivaKi to
leverage the combined scale of the autonomous operations of Digitas, Starcom
MediaVest Group, Denuo and ZenithOptimedia to develop new services, tools,
and next generation digital platforms. Publicis Groupe's Specialized Agencies
and Marketing Services offer healthcare communications, corporate and
financial communications, sustainability communications, shopper marketing,
public relations, CRM and direct marketing, event and sports marketing, and
multicultural communications.
Web site: http://www.publicisgroupe.com
SOURCE Publicis Groupe Services