Publicis Groupe ANZ promotes Jessica Howse to GM People & Culture Australia

Publicis Groupe ANZ has promoted Jessica Howse to the role of General Manager, People & Culture in Australia, supporting the Groupe’s continued growth.

Howse steps up from her position as Head of People & Culture for Zenith Australia, which she held for almost two years. Howse will report to Publicis Groupe Chief Talent Officer ANZ & APAC, Pauly Grant, and partner closely with the organisation’s Australian agencies and leadership teams to drive its people strategy and connected culture.

Pauly Grant said: “At Publicis, we are in the fortunate position of continued growth, which enables us to create more opportunities for our people and invest in their development. Jess’s promotion is a great example of the talent we have within Publicis and our commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for people to grow their careers with us.

“Jess has spent the past two years as part of the Zenith Australia leadership team during a period of significant growth and change. She understands our people, our agencies and the broader Groupe, and I’m really excited to see her take that experience into this expanded role and make an even bigger impact across Australia.”

Howse’s background spans people engagement and experience, organisational design, performance, talent and transformation. She has held senior positions at Nine, Crown Resorts, Seven and Betfair, and worked as a people strategy consultant at Football Australia.

On her promotion, Jess Howse said: “I’m incredibly proud to be stepping into this new role. The growth, ambition and potential I’ve seen across the business over the past two years have been truly impressive, and with that comes real opportunity for our people.

"As the Groupe builds on that momentum, I look forward to partnering with our leaders to shape an environment where performance and wellbeing thrive together, and where our people have the capability, confidence and opportunities to succeed through change and transformation.”

The appointment is effective January 2027.

In 2026, Publicis Groupe Australia was named in the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list and recognised as an HRD Australia 5-Star Employer of Choice. 

The company was also named Employer of Choice at the Australian Business Awards for four consecutive years to 2024.