Dentsu APAC CEO Rob Gilby steps down

Dentsu APAC CEO Rob Gilby has stepped down from his role in another significant leadership change for the advertising giant as it continues to restructure its global and regional operations. Appointed in July 2022, Gilby succeeded Ashish Bhasin and was tasked with unifying Dentsu's Asia Pacific business under the ‘One Dentsu’ strategy, driving growth and integration across the region.

A spokesperson for Dentsu confirmed Gilby’s departure, stating, “Rob Gilby has stepped down from his position as CEO for APAC, Dentsu to pursue new opportunities. Rob has provided significant leadership across our markets, brands and practices in the region and as a member of the Group executive management team as we transition to One Dentsu. During his tenure, Rob has fortified the leadership team, enhanced core capabilities and aligned with the new Group strategy to offer integrated, client-centric growth solutions from across dentsu’s practices. We are grateful for his contributions. 

As we search for a new APAC CEO, our leaders in the established cluster markets, powered by a strong regional clients, business and function team will work through the group strategy unit, under the leadership of Yoshiki Ishihara, global chief strategy officer, with the full support of global president and CEO, Hiro Igarashi, ensuring a continued client-centric approach and progress of the One Dentsu performance and growth agenda. We thank Rob for his dedication and commitment to our organisation and wish him success in his future endeavours.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that Dentsu would maintain its four regional clusters.

Gilby, who brought over 30 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, had previously held senior roles at WarnerMedia and The Walt Disney Company. Before joining Dentsu, he was president of APAC at Nielsen, where he worked closely with media owners, brands, and agencies across the region. 

Gilby’s departure is the latest in a series of leadership shifts at Dentsu. Last week, Campaign reported that China CEO Chun Yin Mak is stepping down after just one year, with Guang Cui, currently CEO of Dentsu Creative China, set to take over. Earlier this year in April, Dentsu’s Australia and New Zealand operations also saw significant changes, including the exits of Media CEO Danny Bass and Merkle CEO Steve Yurisich, as part of a broader restructuring aimed at creating a “new and simplified model to create meaningful growth for clients” across the region.

In December last year, Gilby also spoke to Campaign about the One Dentsu model, emphasising the agency’s focus on integrating global practices and enhancing client-centricity. His remarks came amid a number of exits at the time, including Cheuk Chiang, former creative CEO for APAC, and Merkle APAC CEO John Riccio, as part of Dentsu’s effort to streamline operations and build a more agile, unified business structure.

The agency has reaffirmed these leadership changes are still part of Dentsu's wider strategy to simplify and streamline its operations, but they have coincided with challenging financial results. In the first half of 2024, Dentsu reported a modest 0.2% increase in organic revenue, but APAC, excluding Japan, saw a 6.6% decline due to client losses and difficulties in key markets like Australia.