Publicis & Hal Riney Names Karen C. Francis Chairman and CEO

Business Wire, Oct 25, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO -- Agency Taps Executive's Unique Experience Marketing, Branding and Building Businesses Spanning Consumer and B2B Markets

Publicis & Hal Riney today announced that Karen C. Francis, formerly Vice President of Ford Motor Company, has been named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 1.

Ms. Francis, 42, succeeds Scott Marshall, Chairman and CEO, who retired from the agency in late 2003, and joins Kirk Souder, President and Executive Creative Director in leading the company.

According to Rick Bendel , COO Publicis Worldwide, "We are thrilled to have Karen on our team. The breadth and depth of her marketing experience is unparalleled and matched by outstanding management skills and proven leadership capabilities. Her passion for building businesses will bring a strategic as well as creative talent to bear for our agency as well as our clients. Karen's exposure to international businesses will also be leveraged to maximize the assets within our global network to deliver holistic marketing services support, a capability required by marketing executives facing an ever changing landscape."

Ms. Francis' career began at Procter & Gamble marketing Crest toothpaste during the time period marked by the brand's highest market share in the last 20 years. After business school, Ms. Francis joined Bain and Company as a strategy consultant followed by an assignment as VP, Marketing at Berol Corporation, a school supplies and office products company, responsible for advertising campaigns selected as "Best in Class" by Advertising Age critics.

In 1996, Ms. Francis was recruited to General Motors, where she ran the Chevrolet Venture minivan business, launching a new styling and achieving recognition by GM for the "Best National Integrated Marketing Campaign" that year. Following field sales experience for Chevrolet, Ms. Francis was promoted to General Manager for the Oldsmobile Division of GM. During her tenure, Oldsmobile launched three new vehicles, received GM awards for the "Best Diversity Campaign" and "Best Call-to-Action Advertising," and dramatically improved owner demographics and business profitability. She was selected by Advertising Age magazine as a "Woman To Watch" in 1998 and by Automotive News as one of the ten "Top Newsmakers of 1999."

Ms. Francis broadened her strong consumer marketing experience by joining Internet Capital Group to develop marketing strategies for B2B technology companies targeting the CEO and CIO audiences. She later joined Ford Motor Company as CEO of ConsumerConnect, a division which managed the automaker's global internet strategies, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities and analytics, technology partnerships including those with Microsoft and Qualcomm, and its worldwide export business. Ms. Francis left Ford in late 2002 to manage her personal business interests.

In making the announcement Souder said, "I am excited beyond words to have Karen finally at the helm of our ship. The future of our industry, and the core values of our agency, lie not in our ability to create advertising, but in solving our client's business problems. More important than traditional ad agency background, Karen has lived in the world in which our clients live and will be the cornerstone in our foundation, to be the choice for brands seeking progressive and new-world approaches to their businesses."

On making this decision, Karen Francis said, "I am honored to have the opportunity to join the Publicis organization and to lead the extremely talented team at Publicis & Hal Riney. In many ways this represents a culmination of my years of experience as a marketer and a general manager. I'm looking forward to leveraging this experience, as well as the legendary creative talent within this agency, to help bring P&HR to a new level in client service, business strategies and overall marketing service."

Ms. Francis holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees and as an advisor to comScore Networks, XLTech Group, and Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan.

About Publicis & Hal Riney

Publicis & Hal Riney is a full service agency headquartered in San Francisco, wholly owned by Publicis Groupe, the world's 4th largest communication company. Publicis & Hal Riney's clients include well-known brands such as Sprint, Hewlett Packard, 24 Hour Fitness, Jamba Juice, and Beringer Wines.