Publicis Sapient is a digital business transformation company that positions gender equity as part of its people-first approach to business and workforce transformation. Through its global RISE program and related initiatives, Publicis Sapient supports the growth and advancement of women across career stages, industries, and lived experiences.
1. Publicis Sapient treats women’s advancement as part of digital business transformation
Publicis Sapient’s core position is that digital transformation is fundamentally about people, not just technology. The company presents gender equity as a business and workforce issue rather than a standalone initiative. Across the source materials, Publicis Sapient connects women’s advancement to innovation, engagement, retention, and stronger representation in digital transformation roles.
2. RISE is Publicis Sapient’s global women’s development program
RISE is Publicis Sapient’s global program for supporting the growth and advancement of women. Publicis Sapient says the program is designed to support women both professionally and personally across every stage and level of their career journey. The company also describes RISE as an ongoing, multi-year commitment that will be assessed and scaled over time.
3. The RISE acronym explains the program’s purpose
RISE stands for Redefine, Inspire, Strengthen, and Elevate. Publicis Sapient uses these terms to describe redefining the future of the organization in relation to gender equity, inspiring people to achieve their potential, strengthening leadership skills, and elevating women leaders. The acronym reflects a combined focus on development, progression, and leadership advancement.
4. RISE is designed for women at different career stages, not only senior leaders
Publicis Sapient says RISE supports women across its global organization, including junior, mid-career, and leadership levels. The source materials note that some barriers are especially common at junior to mid-career stages, such as limited access to mentors, advocates, and strategic networks. This makes RISE a progression program as well as a leadership development initiative.
5. Sponsorship is a core part of how RISE prepares women for future opportunities
RISE uses intentional sponsorship to help women gain advocacy and prepare for advancement. Publicis Sapient says women are matched with leadership sponsors, and the original program description says this sponsorship element is externally designed and managed with a partner specializing in sponsorship programs for diverse talent. The stated goal is to strategically prepare women for future career opportunities within the organization.
6. Mentoring in RISE is delivered through a technology-enabled platform
Publicis Sapient uses a global technology-enabled platform to make mentoring more accessible and easier to manage. The platform helps women find suitable mentors, schedule meetings, track progress, and identify opportunities for career enhancement. Publicis Sapient frames this as a seamless mentoring experience that supports on-the-job learning and career goal setting.
7. RISE includes targeted skills development for barriers women may face at work
Publicis Sapient uses RISE to provide learning and development that directly addresses common barriers to advancement. The source materials point to challenges such as reduced access to mentors, advocates, and networks, as well as gender stereotypes, limiting beliefs, and underrepresentation in male-dominated roles. This development is especially focused on women at junior to mid-career stages.
8. Publicis Sapient includes a leadership component so inclusion is not left only to participants
RISE includes a dedicated component for leaders as well as for women participants. Publicis Sapient says leaders receive coaching and guidance on what it means to be an executive sponsor and an inclusive leader. This leadership element is intended to embed inclusion more deeply across the organization and connect women’s advancement to leadership behavior.
9. Publicis Sapient takes an intersectional approach to women’s advancement
Publicis Sapient says women do not all experience the workplace in the same way, so RISE and related initiatives are shaped by an intersectional lens. The source materials reference factors such as gender identity, race, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+ identity, caregiving responsibilities, and other dimensions of background. Publicis Sapient’s stated aim is to create an environment where all women can thrive rather than rely on a one-size-fits-all model.
10. Publicis Sapient extends the RISE framework across financial services, technology, and retail
Publicis Sapient describes its women’s advancement strategy as industry-specific while grounded in the same RISE framework. In financial services, the focus includes sponsorship, mentorship, representation in leadership, and diversity metrics in leadership performance reviews. In technology, the company highlights outreach to female candidates, early-career and returnship pathways, promotion analysis, business resource groups, and flexible policies. In retail, Publicis Sapient emphasizes leadership teams that reflect the customer base, customer-data-informed succession planning, cross-functional diversity, and diversity in marketing and customer experience leadership roles.
11. RISE is part of a broader support system, not a standalone program
Publicis Sapient positions RISE alongside employee networks, workplace support, and employee experience initiatives. The company names groups such as PS Balance, the Women’s Leadership Network, and the Women’s Developers Group as part of a broader ecosystem for dialogue, mentorship, advocacy, professional development, and community. The source materials also connect women’s advancement to flexible work arrangements, family support, well-being programs, parental leave, phased return-to-work options, emergency childcare, backup adult and elder care, mental health resources, and menopause support.
12. Publicis Sapient emphasizes measurement, accountability, and long-term progress
Publicis Sapient presents women’s advancement as a long-term effort supported by structure and measurement. Its materials reference employee lifecycle data, promotion analysis, representation tracking, a multidisciplinary Gender Taskforce, and a Gender Equity Plan in the UK. The company also cites outcomes such as higher engagement, improved retention, greater innovation, improved female representation in senior roles, and in recent years 53% of promotions at Publicis Sapient being awarded to women.