Dentsu is doubling down on growth in the Americas with a series of leadership moves designed to strengthen the client experience and its integrated offering.
At the center of this new structure is Beth Ann Kaminkow, who has been elevated to CEO of the Americas and chief global client officer. The expanded, dual remit follows the recent appointment of Takeshi Sano as global CEO and is part of a push to “regain momentum” in North America.
“For a truly united global Dentsu, our ability to grow and perform in the Americas market is where the focus is right now,” Kaminkow said. “That means the full weight of Dentsu leadership, including Takeshi, is really focused on everything they can do to accelerate the work and the strategies in this market.”
Kaminkow emphasized the importance of proximity to clients and prioritizing their needs over internal operations. “It isn’t just about leaders helicoptering in for one moment; it is about rolling up your sleeves and getting into the most important challenges our clients are facing, but together,” she said.
That focus has led to the creation of a new role for Christena Pyle, who has been named the company’s first chief client experience officer for North America. A five-year Dentsu veteran, Pyle most recently served as chief of community and culture.
Meanwhile, Steve Albany joins as evp of growth and partnerships, tasked with unlocking new business opportunities. He joins from WPP Open X, where he led global creative partnerships for The Coca-Cola Company.
At Dentsu, he will work closely with chief growth officer Kyla Jeffers and partners across the board to drive organic growth with Dentsu clients. “This is an opportunity for us to not only grow the bigger integrated opportunities across the business, but also a chance to support the agency brands with more proactive opportunity-led growth,” Jeffers said.
Collaboration will be central to the new structure, including partnerships beyond Dentsu’s own network, Kaminkow said.
“We talk about being open and interpretable with technology. So we want that to be similar in how we work and bring out the best with other agencies,” she added.
