Dentsu China CEO Chun Yin Mak steps down after one year in role

After one year at Dentsu China, CEO Chun Yin Mak is stepping down and will be replaced by Guang Cui—who currently serves as CEO of Dentsu Creative China— effective 27 September.

Cui’s latest role marks his ninth promotion since joining Dentsu in 2004 as a strategic planner. A 20-year veteran of the industry, Cui’s career at Dentsu includes roles as chief business officer of Dentsu Creative China and CEO of Dentsu Creative China Beijing. On September 5, Dentsu announced a series of leadership changes in China—including Cui’s promotion to CEO of Dentsu Creative China. Other key appointments included Richard Frampton as chief strategy officer, Tommy Li as CEO of Dentsu Media China, and Ami Qian in the newly created role of chief transformation and marketing officer. At the time, Mak described the changes as a step towards a “new chapter” for the company.

Mak was appointed to the role of CEO in August 2023. Before joining Dentsu, he served as managing partner of business transformation services for APAC at IBM Consulting—where he spent a total of 17 years. His 25-year career has been primarily based in Greater China and Asia Pacific, with an initial seven-year stint in North America at Accenture. At Dentsu, Mak also served as Merkle's president for APAC, but the Group has not yet named a successor for this role.

According to Dentsu, Mak joined with a clear mandate to oversee the transition of the China business. While the agency did not disclose the reason for his departure, it stated that "in agreement with the management team, Chun has decided to leave Dentsu at the end of September 2024."

Commenting on the appointment of Guang Cui as Mak’s successor, Jennifer Tang, CEO of Greater North Asia and Taiwan, stated: “Guang Cui’s promotion marks an exciting and natural progression for Dentsu China. As CEO of China, his leadership will be instrumental in steering Dentsu towards becoming a dominant force in the region and ensuring continuity and confidence as we embark on our next phase of growth strategy.”

Tang also expressed her gratitude for Mak’s contributions stating, “We would also like to extend our deep appreciation to Chun, for his dedication and leadership in successfully resetting and transforming the business for a future-ready model. With this critical first stage of transformation successfully completed, we respect and support his decision to pursue new opportunities outside of Dentsu and we wish him continued success in his future endeavours.”

As the incoming CEO, Cui shared his vision for Dentsu China, saying: “I am honoured to step into this role at such a pivotal moment for Dentsu China. My goal is to build on the solid foundations laid by Chun and lead our teams to new heights of success.”

China is not the only market affected by leadership changes at Dentsu this year. In April, Dentsu ANZ underwent a significant restructuring that led to the exit of key executives, including Media CEO Danny Bass and Merkle CEO Steve Yurisich—along with the reported loss of at least 50 roles—as reported by Campaign at the time. According to Dentsu, the restructuring aimed to create a “new and simplified model to create meaningful growth for clients” across its agency brands in Australia and New Zealand. As part of the changes, chief client officer Fiona Johnston was appointed to lead a new vertical called client counsel and commercial vertical, while Kirsty Muddle, CEO of Dentsu Creative, took on responsibilities for 'product and practices' across ANZ. 

In August, Dentsu reported a 0.2% organic revenue increase for H1 2024, but APAC excluding Japan saw a 6.6% decline due to client losses and challenges in Australia, with some recovery in Thailand and Indonesia.