There are big changes at the top of the Dentsu and IPG C-Suites, as Jacki Kelley has resigned as CEO, Americas and taken the role of chief client officer and chief business officer at IPG. In turn, Dentsu has named Michael Komasinski CEO, Dentsu Americas.
In the newly-created role of chief client officer and chief business officer, Kelley will leverage her expertise across the agency and media space to drive innovation, collaboration and value for IPG’s global portfolio of clients. Working closely with the company’s agencies and leadership teams and reporting to IPG’s CEO, Philippe Krakowsky, she will focus on delivering client results, fostering strategic partnerships and enhancing IPG’s position in the industry.
Kelley recently resigned as CEO, Americas and chief client officer at Dentsu. In a statement, Dentsu commented: “Jacki Kelley has resigned and will be leaving Dentsu. She has played an important role over the last four years and we appreciate her leadership. We wish her much personal success in the future.”
Prior to Dentsu, Kelley spent five years at Bloomberg, first joining as COO of Bloomberg Media in 2014 and then moving to Bloomberg LP in 2017 after being appointed deputy chief operating officer. Before that, Kelley was the CEO, North America, and president of global clients for IPG Mediabrands, as well as Global CEO, Universal McCann. She was also a vice president, worldwide strategy and solutions at Yahoo and worked with USA Today for 18 years, leaving the company as a senior vice president.
“We are very pleased to welcome Jacki back as our chief client officer and chief business officer,” said Krakowsky in a statement. “She is a force in our industry, who leads with great heart and a keen understanding of what marketers need in order to succeed in today’s complex media and consumer landscape. Over the course of her career, Jacki has consistently built lasting relationships with clients that drive value and growth for their businesses.”
In a statement, Kelley said that IPG was where she learned the importance of “work you love, with people you love,” which was coined by The Martin Agency’s late president, Mike Hughes.
“Our industry is the ultimate team sport, and I am excited to return to the field with IPG’s dynamic leaders and strong agency brands. I look forward to partnering again with Philippe, who remains one of the most strategic and thoughtful leaders—someone who consistently pushes the boundaries of innovation and progress to drive growth for IPG’s clients and people,” added Kelley.
Bringing on a new Americas CEO
Michael Komasinski has been named CEO, Dentsu Americas.
Komasinski takes over as CEO, Dentsu Americas, overseeing the integrated growth strategy and business execution for Dentsu within the Americas region.
Most recently Komasinski served as CEO, CXM International Markets. He joined Merkle in 2015 as chief operating officer of agency services, then moved to London in late 2016 to begin his transition into a regional leadership role. In 2021, he was promoted to global CEO, Merkle and in 2023 joined the Group Executive Management team of Dentsu following the integration of Dentsu international and Dentsu Japan Network. Prior to Merkle, Komasinski held leadership roles at Razorfish, Schawk Retail Marketing, The Nielsen Company, and A.T. Kearney.
In his role as global CEO of Merkle, Dentsu International, he led the customer experience management (CXM) service as well as the Merkle go-to-market. Komasinski was responsible for overseeing a staff of more than 14,000 employees in over 50 locations throughout the Americas, EMEA and APAC.
“Michael is a charismatic and thoughtful leader who can see both the detail required in assessing client needs, while also easily being able to take a step back and develop the strategy needed to drive a large business and team forward to success,” said Hiroshi Igarashi, president and CEO, Dentsu Group Inc.
Komasinski noted that the Americas region is Dentsu’s second largest after Japan but is one ripe for growth.
“Whether it is identity-driven audiences, customer lifetime value, insight-led creative or mass personalization, clients are thinking about the entire customer journey from both a brand and performance perspective. I am so proud to take over leadership of the Americas team and can’t wait to deepen relationships with clients and colleagues alike,” said Komasinski in a statement.
Komasinksi begins his new role July 1.