Dentsu has reorganized its Europe, Middle East and Africa operations under what it described as a simplified regional structure, eliminating the role of EMEA chief executive officer and expanding the responsibilities of several regional leaders.
The changes will see Annette Male, Sawomir Stepniewski and Mariano Di Benedetto oversee broader parts of the region and report directly to Takeshi Sano, who was recently appointed global chief executive officer.
As part of the restructuring, longtime company executive André Andrade will leave the company after more than 20 years. The EMEA CEO position will be removed under the new structure.
Giulio Malegori will continue in his role as executive senior advisor and chairman of Dentsu EMEA.
Sano said the revised structure was aimed at creating a “simpler, more agile and an even more client-centric” organisation.
“Our evolved cluster model in EMEA reflects that commitment,” Sano said in a statement. “It reduces complexity, brings leadership closer to clients, and improves our ability to collaborate, deploying talent and capabilities with speed.”
Under the new structure, Stepniewski will oversee the Central Europe cluster, while Male will lead Northern Europe, expanding her remit beyond the United Kingdom and Ireland to include the Nordics, Benelux and the Baltics.
Di Benedetto will lead the Western and Southern Europe and Middle East and Africa cluster, adding Spain, Portugal, France and Sub-Saharan Africa to his existing responsibilities, which include Italy, Greece, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Qatar and Türkiye.
The changes will take effect in July.
A company representative said the EMEA restructuring would not serve as a template for other regions, adding that regional approaches would continue to reflect local market conditions and client requirements.
