Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] today announced that Epsilon CEO Bryan Kennedy plans to retire at the end of 2021 after 25 years with the company. Kennedy will step down as CEO and transition into an Executive Strategic Advisor role, effective immediately, to provide guidance and ensure a smooth transition through the end of the year.
John Giuliani, former CEO of Conversant (now Epsilon PeopleCloud Digital Media Solutions), will rejoin Epsilon as Executive Chairman. Giuliani will oversee Epsilon and take on the responsibilities previously held by Kennedy, including driving growth for Publicis Groupe clients and shaping long-term strategy. He will also join the Publicis Groupe Management Committee. Giuliani will report to Arthur Sadoun, CEO of Publicis Groupe.
Giuliani will work directly with Ric Elert, who will expand his current role as President and COO of Epsilon. Elert will continue to lead Epsilon’s operations and drive organic growth, while assuming additional responsibilities to accelerate strategic initiatives including partnerships, vertical and international expansion.
Both Giuliani and Elert will work closely with Sadoun to further strengthen Epsilon’s position at the core of Publicis Groupe.
Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis stated: “I would like to sincerely thank Bryan for his outstanding leadership of Epsilon and for his partnership with the Publicis management team over the last two years. With Ric, he has been a key driving force behind the successful integration of Epsilon into Publicis. This is clearly demonstrated by the +31.1% growth of Epsilon in Q2 2021. And I’d like to welcome John back to Epsilon. He and Ric have already proven that they know what it takes to build a successful business together, to drive sustainable growth in a digital world. With their teams and the support of Publicis Groupe as a whole, I know that they will take Epsilon to new heights.”
John Giuliani, Executive Chairman of Epsilon: “I am excited to be re-joining Epsilon and honored to work with so many truly talented and outstanding people. Epsilon has a set of assets that are superior in the industry and I see tremendous opportunity to continue to transform the way brands reach and engage consumers in a digital-first world. I look forward to partnering with Arthur, Ric and the entire team to build on the positive momentum as part of Publicis Groupe.”
Bryan Kennedy, Executive Strategic Advisor of Epsilon: “After 25 years at Epsilon, I’m incredibly grateful to retire with confidence that Epsilon, our employees, and our clients are in the best position for continued growth as part of Publicis. It’s been a privilege to work alongside our teams around the world to establish Epsilon as an industry-leader in identity, customer database and engagement, loyalty, and email. I look forward to working with Arthur, John and Ric through the remainder of the year to ensure Epsilon is set up for success today and in the future.”
About John Giuliani, Executive Chairman, Epsilon
John Giuliani brings over 30 years of experience helping and growing successful businesses. He joined Serra Ventures as a Venture Partner in 2017 and previously served as CEO of Conversant where he led the company to significant growth and a sale to Alliance Data (Epsilon) in December 2014. In addition, he led and built display media company Dotomi until it was sold to ValueClick (Conversant) in 2011.
Before joining Dotomi, Giuliani founded Rainmaker Consulting Group Inc., which specialized in strategic sales and marketing consulting for marketing services firms. He also served as President of North America for Catalina Marketing Services, providing behavioral insights, database marketing and Internet solutions to key Fortune 1000 companies. His leadership at Catalina resulted in record revenues and net profits. Additionally, Giuliani's tenure includes four years at ACTMEDIA (New Corp) as well as in CPG sales and marketing with Beecham Products (GlaxoSmithKline) and Frito-Lay, Inc. Currently, John is a Special Advisor to DataPoint Capital, the Executive Chairman of Yieldify (London, UK) and a Director at Opendorse (Lincoln, NE). He has participated on boards for WEB.com, Conversant/ValueClick, Dotomi, Bluestem Brands, Q Interactive, SuperMarkets Online, Affinova, Claria, Imagitas, and El Dorado Marketing. Giuliani has an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, as well as a B.S. from the University of Illinois.
About Ric Elert, President and COO, Epsilon
Ric Elert has more than 25 years of experience building big systems that solve big problems. As President and COO, he is responsible for leading Epsilon’s business operations across the company’s Data, Digital Media and Technology offerings as well as guiding the company’s corporate and product strategies. As advertisers face growing complexity and increased scrutiny, Elert works closely with the C-suite to educate them and navigate the digital ad world.
Under his leadership, Epsilon has been recognized as the leader in Identity, Data, Customer Engagement, Loyalty and Email Marketing. Since joining Epsilon in 2009, Ric has played an integral role for the company’s ongoing growth and momentum, becoming President and COO of Epsilon after the acquisition of Epsilon by Publicis Groupe in 2019. Ric is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and sits on several boards, including the Federation for Internet Alerts (FIA), and is a founding member of the IAB Data Center of Excellence.
About Publicis Groupe - The Power of One
Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in communication. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation. Publicis Groupe is a privileged partner in its clients’ transformation to enhance personalization at scale. The Groupe relies on ten expertise concentrated within four main activities: Communication, Media, Data and Technology. Through a unified and fluid organization, its clients have a facilitated access to all its expertise in every market. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs around 80,000 professionals.