Dentsu Aegis Network announces changes in regional leadership structure

· New structure announced with three clusters – Greater North, Greater South and ANZ

· Henry Tajer will lead ANZ, Ashish Bhasin Greater South, Takaki Hibino will become interim lead for Greater North as well as Executive Chairman of Dentsu Aegis Network APAC, and the Singapore business will be separated from Greater South and led by Masaya Nakamura

· In China, Susana Tsui will step down, Michelle Lau will become CEO of China with Jean Lin stepping in as non-executive Chairperson for Dentsu Aegis Network China in addition to her role as the Global CEO of Isobar

7 March 2019 – Dentsu Aegis Network today announces a simplified structure put in place to empower the three new clusters to make autonomous decisions at speed. The Asia Pacific regional business will now be split into three clusters from the original five – Greater North (consisting of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea), Greater South (including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar) and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand).

Recently joined Henry Tajer will continue to lead the ANZ business. Ashish Bhasin will be promoted to CEO of the expanded region of Greater South and will continue to be based in India. Takaki Hibino will oversee Greater North in the interim in addition to his role leading the regional business as Executive Chairman while a search is underway for the Greater North CEO.

As a key regional hub, the Singapore business will be separated from Greater South and led by Masaya Nakamura in addition to his roles as Deputy Chairman and Chief Growth Officer of the APAC business. The recently announced structure in Singapore will remain the same.

In China, Susana Tsui will step down from her role as CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network China, and Michelle Lau, who held various leadership roles with the group between 2003 and 2015, will return to the business to take on the role of CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network China. Jean Lin will work closely with Michelle as non-executive Chairperson of Dentsu Aegis Network China in addition to her role as Global CEO of Isobar.

Takaki Hibino, Executive Chairman of Dentsu Aegis Network APAC said, “This new structure will give leaders the ability to run their markets with autonomy and speed, as business is happening at an increasingly faster pace in every market across this region. Our clients’ needs are evolving, so simplifying structures and bringing a level of autonomy to the clusters gives these diverse businesses the ability to respond to clients’ changing needs in an effective way.

“I thank Susana for her leadership and many contributions she made to our business in China and wish her all the best for the future. Michelle is a great leader and candidate for the role, especially considering her wealth of experience with the group. Michelle as lead and Jean Lin taking on the chairperson role at Dentsu Aegis Network China will support the growth and further development of this highly important market.”

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