Danny Bass and Steve Yurisich depart dentsu as new company structure is revealed
Dentsu ANZ has revealed a new and simplified model to “create meaningful growth for clients”, which will see dentsu Media boss Danny Bass and Merkle boss Steve Yurisich depart.
Aimed at putting “client solutions at the heart of the business, with a focus on connecting its world class capabilities”, the new structure will see dentsu operate across two areas: Client Counsel & Commerical, and Product + Practices, with two new leadership roles created.
Current chief client officer, Fiona Johnston, will take on the new head role for the client and commercial side, while current Dentsu Creative boss, Kirsty Muddle, will assume leadership of all product and practices across ANZ.
Rob Harvey will remain as CEO of NZ and continue to bring dentsu’s cross-Tasman capabilities even closer together. The three will continue to report into dentsu ANZ’s CEO Patricio De Matteis.
“Our clients are experiencing increasing pressure to evolve at speed. We need to help them deliver at the pace they need and the consumer expects. Importantly with a solution and product that delivers growth now and for the next,” said De Matteis.
“What excites me is the convergence of all of our capabilities, strategy, data & tech, creative, media, CXM to innovate for our clients, without any barriers. Not only can we move at the pace our clients want, but create at the pace consumer’s need.”
The dentsu brands – Dentsu Creative, iProspect, Carat, DentsuX, SMG, Cox Inall Ridgeway, TAG and Merkle – will remain active.
“This is no reflection of the capabilities, relationships, and leadership Danny or Steve have brought into our business. We are grateful for their huge contribution and support in helping us shape what a winning future state model for dentsu looks like, and to help us set a strong platform for growth of our media and Merkle brands,” De Matteis said.
Just last week, dentsu International’s former head of brand marketing ANZ move to IPG’s Mediahub to take on a newly creative role of chief strategy officer. The agency also recently lost freelancer Roz Schimshaw, who has moved to independent HERO as head of production.
Last month, former Melbourne managing director at iProspect, Paul Murphy, announced his next move after being among the suite of Dentsu’s senior redundancies late last year.
The pre-Christmas redundancies also saw APAC leaders Cheuk Chiang and John Riccio get cut.
2023 saw a net loss of A$109.5 million (10.7 billion yen) at the Japanese holding company, compared to a net profit of A$612 million (59.8 billion yen) in the previous year. When financials were released, it was understood the group would be looking to further cut costs in 2024, bolstering operational efficiency with the continued roll out of the One Dentsu model.
Subscribe to the daily newsletter
Got a tip?
Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
Linkedin
what a sad day for those that remember the great brands like Carat and Isobar….they should write a book on what not to do in business
User ID not verified.
There is always boxing I guess
User ID not verified.
This surely has to go on the list for the biggest buzz word drop in history – “What excites me is the convergence of all of our capabilities, strategy, data & tech, creative, media, CXM to innovate for our clients, without any barriers. Not only can we move at the pace our clients want, but create at the pace consumer’s need.”
User ID not verified.
I am enjoying this so much.
User ID not verified.
Blimey.Don’t get sick if you work at Dentsu.
User ID not verified.
It’s astonishing to think about what’s been done to Dentsu in recent years.
Is there anyone left with a track record of actually winning business? They might win some awards for most ridiculous titles but that’s about it.
Carat used to be a mighty media agency: It’s now just a name in a list of brands that remain “active”.
How the mighty have fallen
User ID not verified.
Remember when they were profitable and pretty much had a monopoly on the Australian media because they just did good media planning rather than getting “excited about the convergence of all of our capabilities, strategy, data & tech, creative, media, CXM to innovate for our clients, without any barriers. Not only can we move at the pace our clients want, but create at the pace consumer’s need.”
User ID not verified.
The 2 heads of strategy and 1 head of growth for Carat jumping ship too. There’s no one with any experience left there.
User ID not verified.
I can assure you that absolutely no-one who works within dentsu/Carat could see this coming. A total surprise. However, with the right power trio now in charge, the network is set for the rest of 2024, or at least until the next round of cuts. There are lots of avenues to growth. The winning new business and keeping the existing clients avenues do appear to be closed down, so instead it’s full steam ahead on paths to strategy, data & tech, creative, media, and CXM to innovate. Just follow all these people who have been paid salaries to know how to lead; it’s their clarity of vision that makes all the difference.
User ID not verified.
Replaced by AI
User ID not verified.
This will iterate to greatness. Double down on the big bets mkay.
User ID not verified.
@goodone – you have no idea what any of this means? Rest assured, you are by far from the only one. When I think of the cumulative salary total that is responsible for this nonsense, I start to cry.
User ID not verified.
Surely it’s time now to properly merge all under the Dentsu moniker and remove the confusion of the “active”brands. There cant be any conflict left between media agency’s so just wrap it up and go hard as a single brand in market – lean and mean.
User ID not verified.
“What excites me is the convergence of all of our capabilities, strategy, data & tech, creative, media, CXM to innovate for our clients, without any barriers. Not only can we move at the pace our clients want, but create at the pace consumer’s need.”
I have no idea what any of this means.
User ID not verified.
The people so casual about firing others ultimately being fired with the same empathy they showed the 100 odd people they let go.
No one will notice either ceo being gone. In the building or out of it.
User ID not verified.
cuts for sure. big exits for sure. our industry for sure. This kind of makes sense on paper. let’s watch this space and see what happens and judge then. been round to know you never know what’s ahead
User ID not verified.
Atomise liquid brands.
User ID not verified.
you cannot make this stuff up another excuse for cuts
User ID not verified.
Have your say