Publicis Groupe ANZ promotes Maurice Riley to the role of chief data officer

Publicis Groupe has today announced the promotion of Maurice Riley to the new position of chief data officer for the group in Australia and New Zealand.

As part of his remit, Riley will partner closely with agency CEOs and data leads, to further elevate the Groupe’s data specialisms and products. With a focus on creative excellence, he will also work with Publicis Groupe ANZ’s chief creative officer, Dave Bowman, to leverage proprietary data and technology solutions and agency specialisms, to continue to drive connected data, media and creative ideas.

Says Michael Rebelo, CEO, Publicis Groupe ANZ: “Maurice is a multi-faceted digital and data strategist, who throughout his career from America to Australia, has focused on working with clients to deliver data-fuelled, connected creativity. This is a natural next step for both our business and Maurice, who over the past 10 years at Publicis has worked with major global and local brands across a broad range of categories. With Maurice leading our talented data specialists and end-to-end data capabilities, it will enable us to remain a step ahead, redefining the future for our business and of our clients.”

On his appointment, Riley says: “In my new role, I’m excited to team up with Mike, David, and our amazing Publicis talent to zero in on the interconnectivity of ideas, data, media, and creativity across Australia and New Zealand. We’re at a tipping point where AI and data-driven decisions are reshaping consumer engagement yet again. The challenge isn’t just harnessing data; it’s maintaining Publicis’ ethical standards while leveraging that data for ground-breaking creative solutions. My goal is to not just optimise, but to reengineer the machinery of our creative, media and data ecosystem, ethically and effectively.”

With over two decades of experience in data analytics, Riley has been with Digitas for more than eight years. Prior to that, he was VP strategy director at Publicis New York (formerly Publicis Kaplan Thaler).

Riley will take on his new Groupe role with immediate effect, while continuing to lead the data proposition at Digitas until new leadership is announced in 2024.