In late July, when Publicis Groupe chief executive officer, Maurice Lévy made his statement about the group’s second quarter financial results, he added, that 2014 would “be a difficult year.” Publicis’ shares tumbled.

It has been a watershed year.

After a meeting of the Conseil de Surveillance, Publicis Groupe’s supervisory board on 15 September, Publicis Groupe’s senior leadership group, Directoire, has been completely reconfigured and Maurice Lévy is to step down in 2017. Lévy has led Publicis for nearly 30 years and is the company’s second CEO only.

 Maurice Lévy

The existing Directoire is Lévy, Roberts, Naouri, chief financial officer Jean-Michel Etienne and senior vice president, compliance and legal, Anne Gabrielle Heilbronner. Their current terms of office have ended.

The new Directiore+, appointed for four years, includes Lévy and Roberts until 2017. The other members are Starcom MediaVest Group chief executive, Laura Desmond, ZenithOptimedia chief executive, Steve King, Publicis Worldwide chief executive, Arthur Sadoun and Publicis Groupe chief strategist, Rishad Tobaccowala. Etienne is included in the group. Naouri is not.

Robert Senior, Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Group EMEA chief executive, has been promoted to chief executive of the overall Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon network. He has been UK chief executive of SSF Group since it was created in 2007 and became EMEA chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi in 2010. He will take on his new role on 1 January 2015.

  Robert Senior

Kevin Roberts, chief executive of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide will become executive chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi/Fallon from next year and will take on the role of head coach of Publicis Groupe, but will step down from the Publicis Groupe management board in 2016.

   Kevin Roberts

Chris Foster, currently Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Pacific chairman and regional chief executive, will move to chief operating officer at the same time.

Razorfish and Rosetta are to be combined under a new Razorfish Global brand.

Tom Adamski, currently chief executive of Rosetta will become its chief executive.

Publicis stated in a release that it wants digital to make up at least half of its revenue by 2018, compared with 38% of its top line last year. “Advertisers are grappling with the accelerating pace of technological innovation and the inevitable transformation to a digital world.” The company intends to, “extend its leadership in the digital sphere and enrich its offerings by creating new services…notably in the realm of technology.”