Publicis Group plans to increase Chairman and Chief Executive Arthur Sadoun’s base compensation by 20% to A$2.3 million, after finding out that he’s the lowest paid CEO amongst foes WPP and Omnicom.
The proposed pay demand follows WPP’s CEO, Cindy Rose, securing approval for her desired package of A20.7 million, despite investor opposition over the proposed pay package.
As reported by Campaign UK, if approved by shareholders, it would be Sadoun’s first pay rise since 2022. Over that period, Publicis said it has recorded 19% organic growth in net revenue, a 49% increase in market capitalisation and a 29% increase in dividend per share, according to the company’s annual financial report.
Potential package rises to A$17.1m
The proposed increase would take Sadoun’s total potential package, including bonuses, to about A$17.1 million.
That compares with about A$13.5 million in 2025. His 2025 package included a base salary of about A$1.9 million and about A$5.9 million from performance shares.
Publicis said the proposed increase is aimed at closing the pay gap with rival agency groups, while also recognising the company’s “outstanding performance” in 2025.
The French group recorded a profit margin of 18.2% and ended the year with organic revenue growth of 5.6%.
Shareholder vote set for May 27
Publicis shareholders will vote on Sadoun’s compensation at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in Paris on May 27. Institutional Shareholder Services, a proxy advisory group, said a vote in support of Sadoun’s compensation was “warranted but not without concerns”.
Those concerns included the board’s discretion around share vesting. However, ISS said it had no “significant concerns” and that Publicis had provided “detailed information to justify this base salary increase”.
Retention bonus is also in place
Sadoun is also set to receive a retention bonus at the end of 2027, provided he remains CEO. The retention contract was approved by shareholders in 2023, subject to his remaining as CEO for five years.
The value of the contract is a one-off share award worth 10 times his annual salary.
How does Sadoun’s payday stack with WPP and Omnicom?
A base salary of about A$2.3 million would bring Sadoun closer to WPP’s Rose, whose base salary is about A$2.3 million.
To put things in perspective, Rose’s predecessor–Mark Read–exited the company with the highest payout of A$14.9 million in September 2025. Image: Cindy Rose
WPP has approved Rose’s total potential pay package after reviewing her pay proposal, increasing it to a maximum of about A$20.7 million, with bonuses linked to group performance. The WPP shareholder meeting took place in London on Friday, May 8 – 75% of shareholders voted in favour of her proposed pay structure.
Last year, Omnicom changed the compensation structure for CEO and chairman John Wren.
His base salary was reduced from about A$1.4 million to about A$1.38 million, while he was awarded options over four million shares, notionally worth about A$429 million.
The incentive is designed to link Wren’s pay directly to Omnicom’s performance over the next three years, following the acquisition of Interpublic.
Omnicon CEO John Wren
He will only profit on the amount that Omnicom’s share price rises above a key threshold. Wren previously earned an annual package of about A$30 million in 2024, making him the highest-paid advertising holdco CEO.
Top image: Arthur Sadoun