Dept hires David Neal as global CFO as Mickey Kalifa departs

Dept has appointed David Neal, global chief financial officer at Tag, to be its global CFO, as Mickey Kalifa departs after two years in the role.

Neal will report to global chief executive Dimi Albers and lead the global and regional heads for finance and operations. Based in London, his remit will be to increase collaboration between finance and other teams and position finance as a strategic partner to the business. AI will also be a focus within his role to support and transform financial processes. 

Albers said: “At Dept, we’re all about keeping innovation at the core of everything we do. By bringing our finance and operations teams closer together, we are merging two key business areas to drive strategic growth. David will help us unlock new opportunities and ensure that innovation remains at the heart of everything we do.”

Neal spent 16 years at Dentsu. Prior to his CFO role at Tag, which was aquired by Dentsu in 2023, he spent 14 years at Dentsu in London and Singapore, leaving as global CFO of creative. Before joining Dentsu in 2009, he was an auditor at Deloitte. 

Neal said: “During my conversations with the leadership team and colleagues, I was invigorated by the energy and ambition within Dept. I realised this is a place where we can do things differently. I hope to transform finance into a true strategic partner, providing insights, analysis and driving commercial growth.”

Kalifa was previously CFO at M&C Saatchi. He was appointed by the agency in 2019 in the wake of accounting mistakes.

Dept claims to have increased revenues by more than 200% during Kalifa’s tenure, citing AI as the support to this performance. Currently, the agency says 50% of its global revenue is AI-enabled. 

Albers said: “Mickey has been instrumental in creating a more integrated and connected finance team, but his contributions go far beyond the numbers. He’s been an invaluable part of Dept, leaving a lasting mark on our culture and everyone he’s worked with. We’re deeply grateful for all he’s done and wish him great success in his next chapter.”

Kalifa told Campaign: "I am taking a short break before starting something new next year. I’ve had a great time at Dept. We have transformed the business and the organisation over the last couple of years. That experience will be invaluable as I move to my next venture."

In September the company hired VML’s Andrew Dimitriou as global chief client and growth officer.