By Tim Baysinger
(Reuters) - Arthur Sadoun will take over as chief executive of advertising company Publicis Groupe SA (PA:PUBP) from longtime CEO Maurice Levy on June 1, the company said on Thursday.
Paris-based Publicis Groupe is the third-largest ad company in the world, part of what is considered the "Big Four" agency companies, along with WPP PLC (L:WPP), Interpublic Group of Companies Inc (N:IPG) and Omnicom Group Inc (N:OMC).
Currently, Sadoun oversees all of Publicis' creative agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett.
Levy was set to retire this year - the company said he will become chairman when Sadoun takes over - and the identity of his successor was something many in the ad industry were paying close attention to. Sadoun had been considered among the front-runners along with Publicis Media CEO Steve King, who will also join the board.
Much like longtime rival, WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell, Levy is considered to be one of the most-influential advertising executives.
Under Levy's leadership, Publicis went on a massive buying spree, particularly in recent years snapping up digital agencies as the industry has been more and more reliant on technology.
Changing consumer habits have also forced large advertising agencies into a more holistic approach in serving their clients' varying needs.
Sadoun will become the third different chief executive for the French-owned company, following Levy and the company's founder, Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet.
"I'm taking on this new role with confidence, determination and one objective in mind: accelerating our transformation and development through The Power of One to continue to make Publicis shine like Marcel and Maurice have done for the past 90 years," said Sadoun, in a statement.
Last year, along with the three other major ad companies, Publicis revealed that subsidiaries received subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an investigation into video production practices in the industry.