SHANGHAI Publicis China has lost its second chief executive in a month, with China CEO and Shanghai managing director Neil Hardwick stepping down from the role.
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At Media's press time it was unclear if Hardwick — who declined to comment on the move — would be shifted to another role within the network, although sources said he may leave the agency altogether. Sheena Jeng, managing director and chief creative director of Publicis Taiwan, is likely to take up the role as China CEO.
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A formal announcement is expected to be made once Publicis China's clients have been informed of the management changes.
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The senior departures coincide with a decision by Cadbury — one of Publicis' globally-aligned clients — to put its Chocolate Éclair launch project up for pitch.
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Asia-Pacific chairman Guillaume Levy-Lambert confirmed Hardwick would leave his role, but he remained tight-lipped on the details. "I'm a little annoyed that some of the very few people in the know are talking, but I guess that's human nature, and I'm not very good at keeping secrets myself.
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"It's a little premature at this stage to be talking about these changes," he added.
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Hardwick was due to serve as acting head of Beijing following the departure of China managing partner and Beijing chief executive S Y Lau at the end of last month after just over a year on the job (Media, June 2). Industry sources have attributed Lau's departure to disillusionment with the pace of the network's mainland development.
