Katagi will work alongside Michael McLaren, who will assume the role of chairman and representative director of McCann Worldgroup Japan.
Formerly executive director of Ogilvy & Mather Japan, Katagi has also held senior positions with the agency in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Prior to that, he spent 15 years at McCann Erickson in Japan and Germany, where he worked with clients such as Nestlé, General Motors and Microsoft.
Nick Brien, chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup, described Katagi as a “proven leader and born collaborator”. McLaren added that his experience across multiple disciplines and geographies made him the “ideal person to assume this important role” for the agency.
McCann Erickson is among the largest international agencies in Japan and has been active in the market since the 1960s.