PARIS — MSLGroup has elevated Peter Steere to chairman of EMEA, almost one year after the departure of Anders Kempe, who previously oversaw the region.

Like Kempe, Steere hails from MSL's Nordic subsidiary JKL, where he spent 20 years, rising to the role of co-CEO and launching its operation in Copenhagen. More recently, he also served as MSLGroup's EMEA public affairs head.

He now takes charge of a regional operation that accounts for around one-third of MSLGroup's global business, numbering 1,100 employees across 30 markets in Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Steere will report to MSLGroup global CEO Guillaume Herbette and joins the firm's global executive committee. MSLGroup is now aligned with Publicis Groupe's advertising and digital agencies under Publicis Communications.

MSLGroup leaders who report into local Publicis Communications and Publicis One leadership will now also have a dotted line to Steere, while MSL subsidiary firms CNC and JKL will report directly to him.

"We have made great strides over the course of the last several years building our muscle across EMEA by driving collaboration and integration of our businesses in-region, globally, and with local Publicis partners," said Herbette via an internal memo to MSLGroup staff.

"Looking ahead, Peter will seek to strengthen our business in a number of key ways – by coordinating and streamlining our offer, leading the regional new business operations, further developing our business in Brussels and expanding our regional footprint into important new markets."