Youri Guerassimov and Gaëtan du Peloux have been elevated to co-presidents of Paris-based ad agency Marcel, alongside Pascal Nessim. Marcel is part of the Publicis Groupe.
Guerassimov and du Peloux have a track record comprising hundreds of international creative awards spanning 46 Lions and 22 Grand Prix awards, including three Black Pencils at D&AD, two Grand Prix at Cannes, and two Grand Prix honors at the Effie competition.
This inseparable duo, celebrating two decades of creative collaboration this year, joined Marcel in 2009 under the guidance of Anne de Maupeou. Since then, they have climbed every rung of the ladder, from senior creatives to creative directors, and now to co-presidents. This internal appointment reaffirms Marcel’s fundamental philosophy of fostering an environment conducive to talent development and the flourishing of creativity. Under their leadership, Marcel ranked first among French agencies at Cannes Lions in 2018 and 2022, and second in the world in the D&AD ranking for 2023. Their leadership has given rise to notable campaigns such as “Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables” (“Les Fruits et Légumes Moches”) for Intermarché, “Hack Market” for Back Market, and more recently, “The Bleues’ Highlights” (“La Compil des Bleues”) for Orange.
Guerassimov, an art director by training, and du Peloux, a copywriter by training, began their careers at CLM/BBDO in 2004. They primarily worked internationally under the guidance of de Maupeou, with the agency managing the advertising budget for Pepsi worldwide. The creative duo joined Marcel in 2009, still under the guidance of du Maupeou.
“This appointment of these two exceptional talents is a major milestone for Marcel,” said Nessim, co-president of Marcel. “It exemplifies our commitment to placing a culture of bold ideas at the heart of the agency. Youri and Gaëtan are true ‘Marcel kids.’ They embody a new generation of creative leaders—entrepreneurial, open, curious, and compassionate. It was a natural choice. I feel we’re in for a lot of fun.”
Marco Venturelli, chief creative officer of Publicis France, said, “Youri and Gaëtan are the most esteemed and awarded creatives I know in France. I am thrilled and proud to see them take on more responsibilities within the Group because no one represents the right balance between professional qualities and human qualities better than they do.”
“I am so proud of them,” shared de Maupeou, chief creative officer at Marcel from 2008-2020. “In addition to their immense talent, they possess an optimism bordering on naivety that has always guided me, making many things possible. As long as Marcel maintains the spirit of ‘they did not know it was impossible, so they did it,’ they will stand out from the crowd.”
Charles Georges-Picot, who was previously co-president of Marcel, is now leaving the agency in the hands of six presidential hands. The president of Publicis Luxe recently crossed the Atlantic to establish himself in New York and continue to expand Publicis Groupe’s international activities.
Georges-Picot added, “I have been accompanying the evolution of these two great talents for over 10 years, and their appointment is a logical decision: Marcel is a creative agency, and creatives should be at the helm!”
