Global chief financial officer departs Dentsu after 20 years

Nick Priday, global chief financial officer at Dentsu Group, has left the network after 20 years. 

He will be replaced by Arinobu Soga, who takes on the role in addition to his current position as director, representative executive officer, executive vice-president and global chief governance officer.

Soga is understood to be assuming responsibility for the foreseeable future as CFO as the company conducts a search for a permanent successor to Priday.

Dentsu told staff in an internal note seen by Campaign: "While a search is underway, Yushin Soga, global chief governance officer, will assume leadership responsibilities for finance effective from 14 February in addition to his existing role."

Based in the UK, Priday joined Aegis Group in 2003 as director of financial reporting, analysis and control, and has since held a number of roles at Dentsu. 

Following Dentsu’s acquisition of Aegis in 2013, he became global CFO of Dentsu International (formerly Dentsu Aegis Network). 

In 2020, he was appointed as a director and executive officer at Dentsu Group and in 2023 he was named global chief financial officer.

Priday worked with a series of Dentsu’s leaders, including Jerry Buhlmann, Tim Andree, Wendy Clark and chief executive Hiroshi Igarashi.

Igarashi expressed his “gratitude” for his “unwavering commitment to supporting Dentsu’s ambitions."

He added: “Nick’s hard work and loyalty to Dentsu throughout his tenure have been invaluable to our success and we wish him the very best in his future endeavours.” 

Priday joins a list of senior executives from outside Japan who departed after Wendy Clark and Jacki Kelley left. UK-based Nnenna Ilomechina, chief operating officer, and Dominic Shine, chief technology officer, left the group in November 2023.

His departure also follows a global structural change, called “One Dentsu”, which is designed to simplify how the network services its clients and make it easier to integrate the network’s creative, media and CXM capabilities. The restructure has led to cuts in the UK, China and APAC more widely.