Assistant Special Representative Serge Dumont
Senior Vice President and President Asia Pacific
Omnicom Group Inc.
After earning dual degrees from the Sorbonne University in Paris and studying at Taiwan Normal University and the Political Institute in Taipei, he began his professional career as export director for a publicly listed European firm. At age 25, he founded a market entry consultancy to help Western firms establish themselves in mainland China. Sensing a growing potential, he soon shifted his focus to strategic communications and rapidly acquired a roster of Fortune 500 clients.
By 1993 he sold his company, which had become the market leader, to the public relations group Edelman, where he was appointed Group Executive Vice President and President Asia. He left the company in 1998. His unique and pioneering contributions have led the media to refer to him as the "founder of the communications industry in China."
Recently Mr. Dumont decided to return to the communications industry. In 2006, he joined Omnicom Group Inc. the world's leading advertising and marketing services company, as Senior Vice President and President Asia Pacific (www.omnicomgroup.com).
Mr. Dumont has frequently been retained as a high-level advisor by governments and multilateral bodies. For example, he led a team of high-level crisis advisors he assembled to counsel the World Health Organization and the Beijing Municipal Government during the SARS epidemic in 2003. More recently, he advised the French Government on how to involve the Chinese private sector in the Year of France in China, a groundbreaking program initiated by the presidents of China and France.?
Mr. Dumont is also deeply involved in philanthropic endeavors and cultural activities. In 2004 he established a scholarship fund at China's prestigious Tsinghua University to meet the mainland's growing need for qualified communications professionals (www.sergedumontfund.org). Mr. Dumont is also the first foreign member of the Board of Trustees of the China Youth Development Foundation, a leading Chinese charitable organization (www.cydf.org.cn), Vice Chairman of the Beijing Music Festival's international advisory board (www.bmf.org.cn), and acts as the Honorary Representative for China of the Comité Colbert (www.comité-colbert.com), a prestigious organization whose members include the top names in French luxury goods. He also received in 2006 the prestigious title of "Special Representative" for UNAIDS, the joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (www.unaids.org ), and was invited to be a member of the Eminent Person's Panel of the United Nations Silk Road Initiative.
During his career, Mr. Dumont was bestowed France��s highest military and civilian honor, the "Légion d'Honneur" (Legion of Honor) and was named "Chevalier des Arts et Lettres" (Knight of Arts and Literature). He is a "Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France" France's Foreign Trade Advisor. Mr. Dumont was also named "Grande Ufficiale" in the order of the Italian Solidarity Star by the Italian government .
Serge Dumont has been active in the Rotary movement first as a member of the Rotary Club of Hong Kong and then as a member of the Rotary Club of Beijing, where he served as President from 2002 to 2003 (www.rotaryclub-beijing.org).
During his tenure, the Club organized a number of high profile activities, including the "Ball: Beijing Rotary for AIDS", the first high-level celebrity charity event in China to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. The event, initiated with an alliance of organizations including the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention under the Ministry of Health, the United Nations system, the European Union, the American AIDS Foundation (AmfAr), and the China Youth Development Foundation, was attended by top Chinese officials and celebrities from Hong Kong and China, as well as member of the business and diplomatic circles. It reached an audience of over 7.5 million people and received the prestigious "Gold Sabre Award" in New York and "PR Week Award" in Hong Kong.
During that year, the Club was bestowed by Rotary International and district 3450 a number of awards, including the "highest member growth Club Award", "the District Public Relations Award". Serge Dumont also received a Presidential Citation. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow.
In 2006, Rotary International Special Representative for China, Ambassador Christopher Bo Bramsen appointed him as Assistant Special Representative to China and Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Rotary International Special Representative to China, a position similar to that of an Assistant Governor.
Mr. Dumont is fluent in Mandarin, English, and French, and maintains a basic knowledge of Italian, German, and Japanese. In his spare time he enjoys horseback riding, water sports, reading, opera, and music, as well as gastronomy and fine wines.