Dive Brief: 

• Publicis named Arthur Sadoun CEO of of the global agency. 
• The promotion puts Sadoun, the former CEO of Publicis France, in a good position to head Publicis Omnicom upon the merger's completion. Publicis chief Maurice Lévy is sharing the role with Omnicom's John Wren for 30 months, and Wren says he will retire in five years at age 65. 
• Sandoun will be taking over responsibilities from current COO Jean-Yves Naouri. 

Dive Insight: 

A merger as huge as Publicis Omnicom is unprecedented in the advertising world, so Sadoun will be stepping into some uncharted territory. The good news is he has time to learn the ropes while Lévy and Wren run the ship for a while. If he does take over the role of CEO after the merger, he should be well-positioned.