Publicis Groupe Vietnam promotes Kate Bayona-Garcia to Groupe CEO; Vineeth Dhruvan and Anish Kotian elevated to new leadership roles

Publicis Groupe Vietnam has announced the new leadership team following Lukasz Roszczyc’s decision to step down from the Publicis Groupe CEO role to pursue opportunities outside of the advertising industry and Francois Goddet, the current CEO of Publicis Media in Vietnam, returning to Europe mid-year.

Effective May 1, Kate Bayona-Garcia will become CEO of Publicis Groupe Vietnam taking over from Roszczye.

Bayona-Garcia (pictured top left) has been in Vietnam starting out at Leo Burnett and growing through the ranks to lead all creative services covering Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi and MSL. In her 15-year journey in Vietnam, Bayona-Garcia has grown to be recognized as one of the top leaders in Vietnam’s communication industry. She has been instrumental in building a formidable reputation for the Groupe’s creative services operations. As well as advancing new models for clients contributing to the expansion of capabilities, she partners strongly with the media and digital functions to deliver the Groupe’s Power of One promise.

Goddet will be succeeded by Vineeth Dhruvan (pictured top right) who will step up to become the CEO of Publicis Groupe Media in Vietnam. Dhruvan has been with the Groupe in Vietnam since 2012 managing many of our key client relationships across many different categories. He has grown Publicis Groupe’s team and specializations in media, grooming many of its key media talent internally. Dhruvan is passionate about the next chapter of Publicis Media in Vietnam and is keen to bring more innovation into the market anchored in technology. This will enhance the performance of the organization and its people, genuinely impacting productivity and workflows.

With Bayona-Garcia taking on the Groupe CEO role, Publicis Groupe will also promote Anish Kotian (pictured bottom left) to become Managing Director of Creative Services for Publicis Groupe Vietnam. Kotian has been with the Groupe in Vietnam for the past 3 years, and with the Groupe since 2013 including an extensive stint with BBH in India. With almost 17 years of integrated marketing communication experience, he has steadily embraced the transformation offered by a platform world to build bridges across the organization to do great work. Kotian has been an incredible champion for producing work that wins national and international accolades at awards shows like the Effies.

This management team will continue to be overseen by the Groupe’s Chairperson Hoang Thi Mai Huong (pictured bottom right). Bayona-Garcia will report to Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Publicis Groupe Singapore & Southeast Asia, and Dhruvan and Kotian will report into Bayona-Garcia for their new roles.

Randhawa said: “There is no greater personal satisfaction for me than when we have leaders from within ready to step up. Kate, Vineeth and Anish are just the right leaders who complement our firecracker of a team in Vietnam, and I can’t wait to write the next chapter with them.”

“Lukasz has made the Groupe in Vietnam an absolute powerhouse over the past decade. With Agency of the Year wins, new business growth and launching new practices, his legacy for the Groupe is exceptional. But perhaps the best testament to his leadership lies in his ability to groom the next chapter of Publicis Groupe Vietnam leadership from within. Together with Lukasz, Francois has transformed our media practice in market to now lead some of the biggest media relationships leaving his own indelible mark on Vietnam. We are incredibly thankful to them both.”

Huong said: “I have complete confidence in our new but experienced leadership team and am grateful for Lukasz and Francois’ contributions in building the Groupe to become the powerhouse it is today.”