James Morris exits Publicis Groupe as Global Chief Production Officer

James Morris is stepping down from his role as Global Chief Production Officer at Publicis Groupe, with his last day scheduled for the end of October. The departure marks a short chapter at the holding company, where he's spent less than a year in the global production leadership role.

Morris joined Publicis at the start of 2024, initially taking on the position of Chief Executive of Creative Transformation for EMEA. Within 12 months, he was elevated to the Global Chief Production Officer position in January this year. Now, as he prepares to exit, Publicis has indicated it won't be directly replacing the role, suggesting a possible reorganization of its production leadership structure.

Reflecting on his time at the holding company, Morris noted that a solid team is now in position, making it an appropriate moment for his departure. He expressed gratitude toward his colleagues at Publicis and said he looks forward to watching the company's continued growth from the outside.

Morris' career spans some of the industry's heavyweight networks and production outfits. His most recent pre-Publicis role was at Dentsu, where he joined in 2019 as CEO for creative, entertainment and sport across the UK. Two years later, his portfolio grew to cover EMEA markets, where he led creative and production operations while spearheading media and acquisition strategies for the region.

 Before Dentsu, Morris helmed production powerhouse Stink as global CEO for three years. During that period, he was instrumental in creating everything from television programming to music videos, branded content and digital projects for major clients like Channel 4, Google and Nike. Earlier in his career, he spent five years at Mediacom, building a foundation across media and creative disciplines.

Morris took to LinkedIn to share the news of his exit, saying, “Shamelessly sharing some personal news. Thank you to all at Publicis and excited for what comes next. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy time out with my family and mates.”

The move coincides with Publicis' recent appointment of Deepti Velury as CEO of global production earlier in October. Velury transitions from Epsilon, Publicis' data and technology division, where she held the position of chief technology and transformation officer. Her appointment signals what the holding company describes as a fundamental evolution in production, with identity data now playing a central role in the function.