Dentsu Aegis Network appoints Ashish Bhasin into top APAC leadership role and Masaya Nakamura into top Global Solutions role

• Ashish Bhasin, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Greater South has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC, effective immediately.
• Ashish will be based in Singapore and joins the Dentsu Aegis Network Global Executive Team, reporting into Takaki Hibino, Executive Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC.
• Masaya Nakamura, Deputy Chairman & Chief Growth Officer, APAC has been taken a new role as CEO, Global Solutions, Dentsu Aegis Network, based in Tokyo.
• Singapore will become part of the Greater South Cluster. Ashish will continue to oversee the Cluster as he works with Takaki Hibino to find a successor.
• Anand Bhadkamkar, COO & CFO South Asia has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India.
• Prakash Kamdar, CEO, Isobar Singapore has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore.

Singapore: Dentsu Aegis Network today announces the appointment of Ashish Bhasin, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Greater South into the newly created role of CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network, APAC, effective immediately. Based in Singapore, he joins the Dentsu Aegis Network Global Executive team and will report into Takaki Hibino, Executive Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC. Takaki’s role as Executive Chairman, APAC remains the same.

This move further cements the recently announced Cluster Structure; Greater North, Greater South and ANZ in APAC, giving the markets and their leadership teams greater focus on identifying and moving into key growth opportunities. Ashish will focus on accelerating this growth while delivering greater operational rigor and leadership excellence across the region. These changes reflect evolving market dynamics across the region, mitigating the disruption that new entrants, shifting consumer demands and technological evolution creates by focusing on delivering long-term, sustainable growth for our clients.  

Ashish will oversee the Greater South Cluster while the Leadership team appoint a successor. In India, Anand Bhadkamkar, COO & CFO South Asia has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India. Ashish maintains his role as Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network India.

In addition, Masaya Nakamura, Deputy Chairman & Chief Growth Officer, APAC has taken a new role as CEO, Global Solutions, Dentsu Aegis Network, based in Tokyo. He will remain on the Global Executive.

Masaya’s role is transformative within the business; he will be responsible for unlocking expertise and developing leading practices to drive global client-excellence through integrated solutions, overseeing hubs in London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo. Importantly, as an Executive Officer of Dentsu Inc. also, he will build stronger relationships and shared capability between Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Aegis Network. As a result, the Singapore business will no longer be a stand-alone entity and become part of the Greater South Cluster. Prakash Kamdar, CEO, Isobar Singapore has been promoted to CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore. He will continue his role as CEO, Isobar Singapore while the Leadership team appoint a successor.

Takaki Hibino, Executive Chairman, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC comments: “Ashish’s appointment is critical for the region; enabling the markets to focus on client needs and growth opportunities while delivering operational rigor for the business. He was a clear candidate from the start with a proven track record of delivering long-term and consistent growth. Under his leadership, the business in India is now the second largest Advertising & Media organisation by revenue in the market. His long-term vision coupled with his acumen for identifying an opportunity is one of the best in the business, and I am delighted he will join me in leading the business in APAC.” 

Ashish Bhasin, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network APAC commented: “I am thrilled to be taking on this new role within the APAC region. There is never a more exciting time to be in this business; our competitive landscape is becoming more complex and fragmented while our clients are crying out for long-term vision and simplicity. We have to keep their needs as our North Star whilst delivering long-term, sustainable growth for our business. We are in a unique position to build propositions around our client needs, and I look forward to this next chapter in the transformation journey of this region.” 

Masaya Nakamura, CEO, Global Solutions commented: “I am delighted to lead Global Solutions across Dentsu Aegis Network. Making global brands and ideas relevant to local consumers and a core part of their culture is something I have done through-out my career, and I am glad to be taking this on with a global focus once more. This move is an incredibly exciting step in the evolution of our business, weaving stronger synergies between Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Aegis to truly unleash the combined power of the businesses with our client’s long-term growth central to our vision.”  

- Ends -  

For further information contact:

Anna Lake

Senior Global Communications Manager

E: anna.lake@dentsuaegis.com

T: +447551 173228

Notes to Editors

About Ashish Bhasin

• Ashish is an industry veteran with over 30 years’ experience.
• He joined Aegis Media in June 2008 and was tasked with launching the business in the market.
• During his tenure, Ashish has taken the business in India from a 50-employee business to over 3,500 strong workforce, acquiring and integrating 10 new businesses and consistently delivering award-winning work for clients.
• Under his leadership, Dentsu Aegis Network India is now the second largest Advertising & Media Group in India by revenue. This overturned the existing ranking for the first time in 80 years in 2017, two years ahead of target.
• His strong focus on key growth opportunities in Creative, Digital & OOH in the market has resulted in five consecutive years of organic revenue growth for the global business.
• Ashish was promoted to CEO, Greater South Cluster in March 2019.  He also sits on the Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific Executive Board.
• Most recently, he was re-elected as President of the Advertising Agencies Association in India and named Network Head of the Year at the Media Ace Awards 2019 for the second year running.
• Other notable awards include: Campaign Asia - South Asia Agency Head of the Year 2015 – 2017 (inclusive); Brief Media Awards Media Marketer of the Year 2017; Dentsu Aegis Network Star Performer 2017; MXM’s Media Person of the Year 2016; IAA Leadership Award for Media Agency Head of the Year 2015; Exchange4Media - Hallmark Chairman of the Year 2015; UK Business Excellence Awards for Media CEO of the Year, India, & Chairman of the Year – India 2013 – 2015 (inclusive); Indira Super Achiever Award 2003.
• Ashish serves or has served on most industry bodies in India, including President AAAI; Chairman MRUC; Chairman Goafest 2017 & 2018; Co-Chairman AAAI – IBF committee 2010 – 2018; Board Member, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC); Invitee Board Member, Audit Bureau of Circulation; Chairman Media Abbys 2012 & 2013; Chairman, Readership Studies Council of India; Founding Chairman, Sydenham Institute of Management’s Alumni Association. 

About Dentsu Aegis Network

Part of Dentsu Inc., Dentsu Aegis Network is made up of ten global network brands - Carat, Dentsu, dentsu X, iProspect, Isobar, mcgarrybowen, Merkle, MKTG, Posterscope and Vizeum and supported by its specialist/multi-market brands. Dentsu Aegis Network is Innovating the Way Brands Are Built for its clients through its best-in-class expertise and capabilities in media, digital and creative communications services. Offering a distinctive and innovative range of products and services, Dentsu Aegis Network is headquartered in London and operates in 145 countries worldwide with more than 47,000 dedicated specialists.