Publicis Groupe employees the world over woke up Tuesday morning to news that the network’s Publicis Worldwide and Leo Burnett brands have merged to form a new global creative agency, Leo.

While the two firms will be united under the single creative banner across the globe, Andrew Bruce, CEO of Publicis Groupe Canada tells strategy that Canada is one of the few markets that will remain (almost) entirely unchanged.

Both will continue to operate independently in Canada, but with a stronger focus on connecting the two under what Publicis describes as a “constellation of creativity.” Bruce explains that “because of the scale and size and the dynamics of the brands,” the only change the Canadian market can expect to see is the name change from Leo Burnett to simply Leo. Publicis Worldwide will continue to operate as is.

He adds that the agencies already operate in Canada under a unified “country model,” where both offices work closely together under Bruce’s leadership to create the “power of one across media, creativity, and technology.”

“I describe it as the best of both worlds,” says Bruce, who has also been appointed Chairman, Leo North America. “We get to maintain the brands and their distinct and dynamic culture. But because we are creating a global creative community, we will be able to better bring together our talent from all over the world to elevate our product, provide access to greater creative resources where need be, and put creativity at the heart of all we do.”

Bruce shares that the network has been talking about stitching together one big, global creative brand for several years. Having invested heavily in tech and data with the purchase of Epsilon in 2019, the decision to merge Leo Burnett and Publicis Worldwide was intended to bring the focus back on creativity.

The agencies will also remain in cities like Paris, with Publicis Conseil continuing to operate as such. However, in the U.S., for example, there will be a Leo office in Chicago and one in New York, where Publicis Worldwide was the network’s creative shop. The new agency brings together 15,000 staff across 90 countries, and will be led by Marco Venturelli and Agathe Bousquet, who will act as co-presidents, and CSO Gareth Goodall.

In November 2024, long-time Leo creative Steve Persico departed from Leo Burnett, with Angus Tucker joining as the interim CCO while the shop looks for a replacement. When asked about an update on a permament replacement, Bruce says it plans to continue working with Tucker for “at least the next year, if not longer.”

“When Angus came in, there was such a connection,” says Bruce. “It created such a creative energy inside Leo Burnett that both Angus and [Leo president] Ben Tarr made a decision to keep this thing going. So we don’t have a gap to fill right now. Everybody knows [Tucker’s] pedigree, but also how collaborative, energetic and enthusiastic creative leader he’s become.”