The 2019 Global Leaders in Consulting: Nigel Vaz

"Since taking on the role of CEO, one of the first calls to action with our leadership team was quite rapidly accelerating the pace at which we were making strategic shifts in our own transformation," Vaz says. "In that time, our teams have driven some of the most transformational changes in our history: from launching the unified Publicis Sapient brand in the market, to getting recognized as a Leader in the Digital Business Transformation space, to connecting our 20,000 people across 50 offices across the globe through our new shared Purpose and Core Values." 

In addition to his company-level work, Vaz works closely with clients and teams to deliver transformative solutions and business models that make a significant impact to the success of leading global business including McDonald's, Lloyds Bank, and Carrefour. 

"The ability to drive material impact for our clients' businesses while continuing to transform Publicis Sapient into a company where the best want to work and thrive has been some of the most rewarding work of the last 12 months and of my career."

Vaz says he has always been motivated by impact. When working with clients, that translates to partnering with them in how digital can fundamentally change how they create value for their customers and business. "As the CEO of Publicis Sapient, it translates to how I work with our leaders and teams to connect our capabilities in a way that enables those new sources of value creation while also evolving how we operate as a business and create meaningful experiences for our people," he says. 

Consulting has always been centered on helping clients navigate some form of change, he says, but today the pace of that change is accelerating. "I love that every day we are given the opportunity to work with some of the most beloved brands on how they not only navigate that change, but transform their businesses to thrive in it," Vaz says. 

Vaz is coming up on 20 years with Publicis Sapient next year (Sapient when he joined). "I am proud of being one of a handful of leaders who built our International business from the ground up," he says. "As part of the leadership team, I drove the evolution of the European business and helped to build Sapient into one of the largest digital professional services companies in the UK from a start-up in the space of a decade. 

Q&A: What's been the biggest factor to your success?

"There are two: perspective and the ability to build strong teams. The ability to provide clear perspective, whether it's with clients or as a leader in our own business, is critical to the success of any team: it allows us to create a connection between our work and our desired outcomes and provides direction on what we should focus on and what we shouldn't."