Dentsu consolidates ex-Japan operations into new network

The re-organisation will combine all overseas group companies, excluding those in the areas of sports marketing and content development, under a single management team led by Tim Andree (pictured) as president and chief executive. The network will cover 82 operations across 29 countries.

According to a statement from Dentsu, the new structure is designed to streamline communication and resources between the Tokyo headquarters and overseas network agencies. President and chief executive Tadashi Ishii said the move is “designed to speed decision-making, accelerate sharing of know-how across geographies, and push more empowerment to the frontlines”.

Andree’s management team will consist of Kunihiro Matsushima, vice-chairman of Dentsu Network and executive officer of Dentsu; Tim Pollak, vice-chairman of Dentsu Network; and Nicholas Rey as chief financial officer of Dentsu Network.

In recent years, Dentsu has emphasised the need to strengthen its network outside Japan, where advertising revenues have been hit hard by the economic downturn and prevailing sluggish economy. In the statement, Andree said the formation of Dentsu Network would contribute to this by enabling the agency to serve “more clients, in more markets, more effectively through global collaboration”.

Dentsu Network will be supported by two new divisions in Tokyo: the Dentsu Network Management Division, which will perform administrative functions including strategy, finance, HR and M&A, and the Global Business Division, which will offer an assortment of tools and methodologies. Both divisions will report directly to Andree.

Andree, a former marketer for the National Basketball Association (NBA), has been with Dentsu since 2006, when he joined as chairman of Dentsu America. In 2008 he was appointed chief executive of Dentsu Network West, a collective established to drive growth in the Americas, Australia and Europe. That division will be absorbed into Dentsu Network.

Separately, Dentsu recently expanded its presence in Southeast Asia with the formation of Dentsu Media Malaysia.