MSL is Publicis Groupe's global public relations and integrated communications network, with more than 3,100 people across 107-plus offices worldwide. Diana Littman has served as CEO of MSL U.S. since December 2018, reporting to Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun.
What is MSL?
MSL is Publicis Groupe's public relations and integrated communications network, one of the largest PR networks operating in Europe and, according to the firm, the fastest growing PR network in Asia Pacific. The network provides strategic counsel and creative campaign work across corporate communications, consumer marketing, social purpose and sustainability, employee communications, crisis, technology, health, and food and beverage practices.
How did MSL originate?
MSL traces its roots to 1980, when the agency then known as MS&L was acquired by advertising agency Benton & Bowles. Benton & Bowles later merged with Leo Burnett before the combined group was acquired by France's Publicis Groupe, folding MSL into what is now the world's third largest communications company. The network absorbed Schwartz Communications, a Waltham, Massachusetts public relations firm founded in 1990, after Publicis Groupe acquired it in 2011 and fully merged it into MSLGROUP by 2014.
Who leads MSL U.S. and when did she join?
Publicis Groupe announced Diana Littman as CEO of MSL U.S. on November 1, 2018, with Littman formally joining that December. She reports directly to Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe's chairman and CEO, and also sits on the Publicis Groupe USA Executive Committee. Her mandate at appointment was to elevate public relations, influence marketing, and earned engagement inside Publicis Groupe's integrated model.
Littman brought a decade at Marina Maher Communications and a prior decade at Cohn & Wolfe to the MSL role. Her oversight spans MSL's offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Arthur Sadoun said at her appointment that building brand influence that drives client impact is more critical today than ever.
Which clients and sectors does MSL serve?
MSL's client work spans consumer, healthcare, and corporate reputation accounts. The Institute for Public Relations lists MSL's client partners as including Procter & Gamble, GM, Eli Lilly, Inspire Brands, J.M. Smucker, Gilead, and KitchenAid. MSL and Novartis won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix in 2026, and the network brought Procter & Gamble's Mr. Clean campaign to Cannes Lions the same year.
What awards has MSL won?
MSL was named 2025 SABRE Global Agency of the Year and appeared on the 2026 MM+M Agency 100 list. Littman's own career recognitions, accumulated across her time at MSL, Marina Maher Communications, and Cohn & Wolfe, include multiple SABRE, Effie, Cannes Lions, PRWeek, and MM&M awards, along with Holmes Report Agency of the Year honors.
MSL organizes leadership by country CEO across markets including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, a structure the network describes internally as a Power of One collaborative model within Publicis Groupe. Country leaders named by the network include Rebecca Grant, CEO of Publicis PSI U.K., and Liza Zhang, CEO of MSL China.
Where does MSL fit among global PR networks?
MSL competes at the top tier of holding company PR networks alongside Edelman, the world's largest independent, and the PR arms of the other major holding companies, including WPP's Ogilvy PR and Havas Red. Within Publicis Groupe specifically, MSL sits inside Publicis Communications, the group's creative hub, alongside advertising agencies Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, BBH, Marcel, and Fallon.
MSL's scale, more than 3,100 staff across over 107 offices, puts it in direct competition for the largest global corporate and consumer accounts that require simultaneous campaign execution across dozens of markets, a category of work that boutique and mid-market independents are generally not staffed to handle.
How has MSL grown through acquisitions?
Beyond the Schwartz Communications merger, MSL's growth has come substantially through Publicis Groupe's wider acquisition strategy for its communications arm. The network's documented history includes a 2010 acquisition of Indian technology and social media firm 20:20 and an acquisition of Chinese firm Eastwei Relations the same year, expanding MSL's footprint into two of the fastest growing PR markets globally at the time.
MSL is Publicis Groupe's public relations and integrated communications network, one of the largest PR networks operating in Europe and, according to the firm, the fastest growing PR network in Asia Pacific. The network provides strategic counsel and creative campaign work across corporate communications, consumer marketing, social purpose and sustainability, employee communications, crisis, technology, health, and food and beverage practices.
How did MSL originate?
MSL traces its roots to 1980, when the agency then known as MS&L was acquired by advertising agency Benton & Bowles. Benton & Bowles later merged with Leo Burnett before the combined group was acquired by France's Publicis Groupe, folding MSL into what is now the world's third largest communications company. The network absorbed Schwartz Communications, a Waltham, Massachusetts public relations firm founded in 1990, after Publicis Groupe acquired it in 2011 and fully merged it into MSLGROUP by 2014.
Who leads MSL U.S. and when did she join?
Publicis Groupe announced Diana Littman as CEO of MSL U.S. on November 1, 2018, with Littman formally joining that December. She reports directly to Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe's chairman and CEO, and also sits on the Publicis Groupe USA Executive Committee. Her mandate at appointment was to elevate public relations, influence marketing, and earned engagement inside Publicis Groupe's integrated model. Littman brought a decade at Marina Maher Communications and a prior decade at Cohn & Wolfe to the MSL role. Her oversight spans MSL's offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Arthur Sadoun said at her appointment that building brand influence that drives client impact is more critical today than ever.
Which clients and sectors does MSL serve?
MSL's client work spans consumer, healthcare, and corporate reputation accounts. The Institute for Public Relations lists MSL's client partners as including Procter & Gamble, GM, Eli Lilly, Inspire Brands, J.M. Smucker, Gilead, and KitchenAid. MSL and Novartis won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix in 2026, and the network brought Procter & Gamble's Mr. Clean campaign to Cannes Lions the same year.
What awards has MSL won?
MSL was named 2025 SABRE Global Agency of the Year and appeared on the 2026 MM+M Agency 100 list. Littman's own career recognitions, accumulated across her time at MSL, Marina Maher Communications, and Cohn & Wolfe, include multiple SABRE, Effie, Cannes Lions, PRWeek, and MM&M awards, along with Holmes Report Agency of the Year honors.
How is MSL organized globally?
MSL organizes leadership by country CEO across markets including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, a structure the network describes internally as a Power of One collaborative model within Publicis Groupe. Country leaders named by the network include Rebecca Grant, CEO of Publicis PSI U.K., and Liza Zhang, CEO of MSL China.
Where does MSL fit among global PR networks?
MSL competes at the top tier of holding company PR networks alongside Edelman, the world's largest independent, and the PR arms of the other major holding companies, including WPP's Ogilvy PR and Havas Red. Within Publicis Groupe specifically, MSL sits inside Publicis Communications, the group's creative hub, alongside advertising agencies Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, BBH, Marcel, and Fallon. MSL's scale, more than 3,100 staff across over 107 offices, puts it in direct competition for the largest global corporate and consumer accounts that require simultaneous campaign execution across dozens of markets, a category of work that boutique and mid-market independents are generally not staffed to handle.
How has MSL grown through acquisitions?
Beyond the Schwartz Communications merger, MSL's growth has come substantially through Publicis Groupe's wider acquisition strategy for its communications arm. The network's documented history includes a 2010 acquisition of Indian technology and social media firm 20:20 and an acquisition of Chinese firm Eastwei Relations the same year, expanding MSL's footprint into two of the fastest growing PR markets globally at the time.
When was MSL founded?
MSL traces its lineage to 1980, when MS&L was acquired by Benton & Bowles, ahead of Publicis Groupe's later acquisition of the combined agency group.
Who is the CEO of MSL U.S.?
Diana Littman, appointed November 2018 and in place since December 2018, reporting to Publicis Groupe chairman and CEO Arthur Sadoun.
How large is MSL?
More than 3,100 people across more than 107 offices worldwide, per Publicis Groupe's own announcement materials.
What does MSL specialize in?
Public relations, reputation management, cultural intelligence and influence campaigns, and integrated communications for global and regional clients across consumer, healthcare, and corporate reputation work. Editorial assessment by Everything-PR, based on public record and archive coverage. No firm-supplied marketing copy, no paid placement. Related agency profiles: Kekst CNC agency profile Full PR agency profiles directory
Written by
EPR Editorial Team
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
