MAM
dentsu International appoints Alex Hesz as global chief strategy officer
Mumbai: London-based dentsu International has announced the appointment of Alex Hesz as global chief strategy officer. Partnering with global CEO Wendy Clark and the dentsu international executive team, Hesz will shape and define the strategy, priorities, and long-term direction of dentsu international, aligned to dentsu Group’s strategy.
Hesz will spearhead dentsu International’s go-to-market strategy partnering across the business to define integrated, human-centric, world-class products, services and solutions to drive growth for clients. He will join the dentsu in 2022, the agency said.
Hesz joins dentsu from DDB Worldwide where he has been global CSO since June 2020 and group CSO of adam&eveDDB. His clients included Google, Samsung, Unilever, Mars, Lloyds Banking Group, BlackRock, and Facebook (Meta).
“Alex’s appointment is game-changing for dentsu. He is one of the foremost strategic leaders in the industry,” stated dentsu International global CEO Wendy Clark. “On our journey to optimising from 160 to 6 global leadership brands, this role is critical to integrate our total offering across media, CXM and creative, delivering growth and creativity for clients at the speed and efficiency demanded by the marketplace.“
“Alex is a massively talented, driven and proven leader who is wired to understand clients’ needs and aspirations. I couldn’t feel more confident that Alex joining at this critical juncture in our transformation will bolster our realisation of being the most integrated network in the world.”
“dentsu is uniquely placed to provide enviable modern marketing offering to deliver the work that clients truly want in the way they truly want it to be delivered. The commitments to sustainability and diversity as drivers of that success are critical parts of that shared culture, and are values sincerely held and shared by everyone I’ve been lucky enough to meet,” said Alex Hesz.
“I can’t wait to get going at DI, to help shape the offering that today’s largest and most progressive clients are asking for, and that DI is unique in its preparedness to deliver. These are exciting times,” he added.
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
