Iain Jacob

Iain has worked within Publicis Groupe since 2000 after selling Motive Communications, the media agency he co-founded in 1995. During his 16 year tenure with the Groupe, he has held a number of key leadership roles, most recently as Chief Executive Officer, EMEA of the newly formed Publicis Media.

Before being promoted into his current role, Iain held the position of President EMEA for Starcom Mediavest Group (SMG) and was responsible for leading the strategic direction and management of SMG’s operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with a remit to drive growth and further accelerate the digital transformation of the organisation across the region.

Under his leadership, SMG EMEA grew and transformed to where over 50% of revenue was derived from digital, content and data analysis. Most recent wins for SMG included the global accounts for Asics, TomTom and Etihad Airways, all of which were anchored in the EMEA region and sizeable local wins including Telenor in Sweden and Lidl in the UK and France. Iain was integral to SMG’s acquisition drive which included AKOM 360, Germany’s leading full-service digital marketing consultancy; and South Africa-based Lighthouse Digital, a leading performance marketing agency.