DAN loses another senior executive with departure of Nick Waters

Dentsu Aegis Network announced that Nick Waters is departing the holding company after just a year as executive chairman for the UK and Ireland.

Waters is the latest in a series of high-profile exits and changes at the business.

Waters was APAC CEO for nine years until his departure from Singapore was announced in December last year. He joined DAN’s London-based business in February to replace Stef Calcraft, who was appointed executive chairman in January 2018 but stayed less than a year. Calcraft himself had been brought in to run the agency’s UK and Ireland business, in effect filling a void left by the departure of chief executive Tracey de Groose, who stepped down in the autumn of 2017.

In February 2019, DAN appointed Euan Jarvie as UK and Ireland chief executive. Waters has been working alongside him since his arrival.

DAN told Campaign that there are "no immediate plans to replace" Waters.

Waters joined the group in 2010 as chief executive of Aegis Media Asia-Pacific. Following its acquisition by Dentsu, he became chief executive of the region for DAN.

Jarvie said: "I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Nick for playing a pivotal role in the evolution of the UK&I business this year and for his partnership. Together, we’ve made great strides in reshaping and evolving the business to set ourselves up for even greater success. We are building momentum and ambition across our network as a result and we will be accelerating this as we move into 2020."

Waters added: "With a strong strategy and team in place and after almost a decade with the group, now felt like the natural time for me to move on. I’d like to thank all the talented people that I have worked with, both here in the UK and across our global business, for making the past decade a hugely rewarding experience."

The group, which owns agencies including Carat, Vizeum and iProspect, has undergone numerous management changes and several in November alone.

Pippa Glucklich left Amplifi UK after 18 months as a result of DAN shifting its media investment capabilities out of Amplifi and into individual agencies.

Kate Howe, executive director, creative, customer experience and commerce, is leaving after three years to join MSQ Partners; global chief executive of content and creative Dick van Motman is stepping down after seven years in the top position; Isobar global chief executive Jean Lin was given an extended global role as chief executive of DAN Creative; Ruth Stubbs is leaving her Singapore-based role as global president of DAN’s iProspect to join Group M’s Wavemaker as EMEA chief executive in early 2020; and iProspect global chief strategy officer Dan Hagen was recruited by Havas Media Group.