Publicis Groupe in the Central and Eastern Europe region is introducing a new function focused on operational efficiency and transformation, with Massimo De Angelis appointed to the position. It is a role with a clear task: to translate strategy into everyday operational practice and ensure measurable results at the market level.
The Operational Excellence & Transformation Lead position covers the entire CEE region, based in Warsaw, with a focus on standardising ways of working, strengthening operating models and broader adoption of platform-based solutions such as MRCL. In other words, the emphasis is shifting from planning to execution – how strategies actually function in the day-to-day work of teams and clients.
De Angelis comes from within the Publicis Groupe structure, where he has already led complex transformation and commerce projects at a regional level. As Client Service Director and CEE Commerce Lead within the Publicis Production EMEA Hub, he worked on multi-market projects that required coordination across different teams, platforms and markets.
One of the key projects was the development and leadership of a production hub in Poland for Unilever’s global Content-as-a-Service model. This system includes AI-supported, modular content production for more than 90 brands and 70 retail partners, managing a team of around 100 people and a budget of approximately six million euros. Experience from such operationally demanding environments is directly carried into his new role.
At the same time, De Angelis worked on connecting commerce functions across the CEE region, aiming to integrate content, platforms and operational processes into more scalable growth models.
Before joining Publicis Groupe, he spent nearly ten years at Accenture, where he led digital and business transformation projects across sectors ranging from healthcare and FMCG to automotive, energy and retail.
The new role comes at a time when large networks are increasingly standardising operations and relying on platforms to simplify delivery and increase efficiency. In this context, the task is no longer just to design a strategy, but to ensure it can function across different markets, teams and technological environments.
In practice, De Angelis will work with local teams on the design and implementation of transformation initiatives, as well as on introducing new ways of working into everyday processes – often the most demanding part of any transformation.
