‘We are focused on our future as an agency’: Carat execs exit following denstu restructure
Three Carat executives are confirmed to have departed this week, only days after dentsu Media boss Danny Bass and Merkle boss Steve Yurisich also exited the company.
As reported by AdNews, national head of growth, Scott McCaffery, chief strategy officer, Danni Wright, and group strategy and planning director, Paul Baker, are all leaving Carat.
Dentsu’s chief client officer, Fiona Johnston, confirmed the news in a statement given to Mumbrella on Tuesday.
“It has been quite the year of evolution for us here at dentsu, and Carat is of course a part of that,” Johnston said.
“Danni, PB and Scott are some of our favourite people and have all been a huge part of Carat, and dentsu, some up to 14 years! Of course, we are sad to see them go but they leave a great legacy of strategic smarts and business nous. We know they are all moving on to good places and I’m sure they will do well.
“We are focused on our future as an agency, and we already have plans in place. But right now, it is about celebrating the work and efforts of Danni, PB and Scott.”
Last week’s news of Bass and Yurisich’s departure was attributed to a new and simplified model to “create meaningful growth for clients”, 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.
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.
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Neil Griffiths is the editor of Mumbrella. He joined the company in October 2023.
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this place talks so much sh*t about transformation and data and can’t even keep the doors open. sweep out the entire c-suite, football team of CFO’s and let the people that really drive the business and clients run it … the same people they’ve continually cut and thrown in front of the regional fire in order to keep the Porsche’s paid off.
[Edited]
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Very very sad state of affairs. What was a fantastic brand and powerhouse (which I was very proud to have launched and led in Australia for 10 years) is now just broken & lost. Restructure after restructure after restructure all to rectify carats/ dentsu problems and poor decisions. Anyone ever heard of the poor old clients who have to put up with this ? Sad.
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Whilst any press release or soundbites may have been edited, i think it’s poor form that of 50 people let go, only 3 get any sort of mention. not that each individual needs to be called out, however, there should at least be some acknowledge from dentsu that more than 3 senior heads have gone.
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as someone who spent a number of years inside dentsu, i would say the arrogance, tone deaf, incompetent leadership stretching back at least 5 years is one reason why
the blind support behind everything, at the expense of their media agencies is one example of this – and let’s remember, these were the cash cows.
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Danni was the Chief Strategy Officer for Carat and has been for several years
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Have they still been able to maintain their promised diversity and inclusion ratios with all these cuts being made? Does 5% of their workforce still identify as LGBTQI+ or non-binary?
That is what’s really important.
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Why would any client put their business with this mob ?
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Why do people love reading about the downfall of Dentsu so much? Every article about another rounds of cuts, poor financial results, loss of a client bring out the most comments on Mumbrella.
I’m not saying that I am not here for it, just genuinely interested as an industry newbie why everyone loves to bathe in its misery.
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As a recently ex-employee of Carat, I can confirm that over the past six years staff have received many, many internal communications about visions, management restructures, and workplace DEI. However, what there has not been any meaningful conversation about is the quality of the day-to-day work or why multiple new business efforts continue to be so spectacularly unsuccessful (that includes dentsu).
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The au holding company c suite version of that Pepsi ad with Kendall Jenner.
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Think you will find these ones are chowing to leave @circling the drain
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I’d heard they’d get the coffee machines to lead the next pitch, but they just got rid of them too.
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Tango took the cash
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The place had been on life support for years. Media has been seen as the golden goose whilst the other parts of the business got the investment.
Anyone who’s been there a while (and there’s not many left) have seen this time and time again.
Promise of a new dawn, this is the future, we’ve got it right this time blah blah blah.
I had many years there when the place meant something but those times are long gone.
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Another 50 people gone locally, as referenced elsewhere. How many people are actually left there? Is it just Fiona and her positive spin?
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buzz word bingo continues to under-deliver – who would have thought?
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