Demet IKILER

About Demet IKILER

Demet Ikiler is an international executive in the communications and media industry and is currently identified at Publicis Groupe as CEO EMEA. She joined the group in January 2023 as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for EMEA, later taking on expanded regional responsibilities. In this role, she leads one of Publicis Groupe’s most strategic geographies, with a mandate focused on strengthening cross-market collaboration, scaling expertise, and accelerating growth for clients. Her remit reflects Publicis Groupe’s broader ambition to build a more integrated regional organization with the ability to deploy capabilities at scale. Before joining Publicis, Demet Ikiler spent more than two decades at WPP. During that time, she held senior leadership positions, including CEO of GroupM EMEA and WPP Country Chair. These roles placed her in charge of large, multicultural teams and complex regional operations, while also requiring her to deliver more innovative solutions for clients across highly competitive markets. Earlier in her career, she also worked at Zenith and Saatchi & Saatchi, experiences that helped shape her deep understanding of agency businesses, media operations, and client service. Ikiler is widely recognized for an inclusive, ambitious, and impact-driven leadership style. Publicis Groupe has highlighted her ability to combine operational excellence with a strong understanding of the EMEA ecosystem and a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion. She also serves on the board of the United Nations Global Compact, where she leads the diversity and inclusion chapter. Her leadership profile has been recognized by Fortune and The Economist among the most powerful female CEOs, and she was named an Empower 100 Executives Role Model in 2022. At Publicis Groupe, her role fits into the company’s ongoing transformation toward a more unified, agile, and client-centric operating model. Her appointment underscores the group’s confidence in her regional management experience, commercial vision, and ability to bring teams together around shared growth objectives.