Paris, France – Global multinational advertising and public relations company Publicis Groupe has announced that it is officially exiting from Russia, the latest advertising giant to halt its operations in the European country. Publicis Groupe joins more than 300 companies now that have suspended or ceased operations in Russia.
Through the announcement, Groupe said that it is handing over control of its Russian operations to Sergey Koptev, founding chairman of Publicis in Russia, with the clear contractual condition of ensuring a future for employees there.
According to Arthur Sadoun, CEO and chairman at Publicis Groupe, by ceding control of their Russian operations to Koptev, they are securing a future path for their colleagues while immediately stopping all of their operations, engagement and investment in Russia.
“Since the start of the invasion, we have been working on exiting Russia as we strongly condemn the unilateral aggression against Ukraine. We were committed to taking strong actions that fully [responded] to the gravity of the situation. But we were determined to take the necessary time to come with a solution that was truly people-first, because our 1200 employees in Russia are our people too,” Sadoun said.
Sadoun also said that the safety of their employees in Ukraine remains their number one focus, adding that they are in daily contact with all 350 of them on an individual basis and doing everything they can to protect them.
“From security alert systems, to psychological and mental health support, to help with visas, or guaranteeing salaries for everyone for the entire year, we will continue to stand by their side, be exhaustive in the solutions we bring and immediate in the aid we provide,” Sadoun concluded.
Publicis Groupe joins advertising giants Interpublic Group (IPG) and WPP in the latest exit from Russia.
