Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 16 April 2026 – Publicis Groupe Middle East today announced the appointment of Zachary Bambach as Chief AI Officer, a newly created role that reflects the Groupe’s focus on accelerating AI as a core driver of transformation, embedding AI more deeply across how it delivers growth, performance and business transformation for clients.

In this role, Bambach will lead the Groupe’s AI agenda across the region, helping clients unlock more effective, connected and measurable outcomes through AI, while strengthening the Groupe’s ability to deliver faster, more integrated solutions across creative, media, data and technology.

Bambach brings extensive experience across AI, marketing and business transformation, with more than a decade spent across Epsilon and broader international roles within Publicis Groupe. He has played a key role in applying the Groupe’s proprietary AI platform, MRCL, across client work and operations, helping brands use AI, data and marketing technology to improve customer experience, efficiency and business performance.

He has also held senior leadership roles within Epsilon, where he led large-scale client portfolios and the integration of complex data and MarTech platforms, shaping his ability to connect data, technology and marketing to deliver more personalised customer experiences, stronger business performance and more measurable marketing outcomes.

Bassel Kakish, CEO of Publicis Groupe Middle East & Turkey said, “AI is becoming one of the most important drivers of growth, efficiency and competitive advantage for our clients, and this role reflects our focus on putting it at the core of everything we do. Zachary brings deep expertise across AI, data and marketing, alongside a strong understanding of our ecosystem, and a proven ability to translate AI into practical, scalable solutions that drive real impact for our clients.”

Zachary Bambach added, “The region has been developing and adapting technology at an incredible pace over the last five years. AI is opening a huge amount of opportunity, but the real advantage right now is how quickly you can adapt and learn. My focus is simple, to get more out of what we’ve already built, move faster with AI, and turn it into measurable business impact. At the same time, we have an opportunity to develop talent here into some of the best in the world, not just users of AI, but people deciding and creating where it goes next.”

This appointment reinforces Publicis Groupe Middle East’s commitment to advancing transformation through AI, enabling its talents and clients to unlock greater value through more intelligent, connected and measurable solutions.