Day: February 13, 2026

Takeshi Sano, President and Global CEO, Dentsu

TOKYO, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President & Global CEO: Hiroshi Igarashi; the Company and its Group companies are hereinafter collectively referred to as “dentsu”) today announced a new global management structure — including the appointment of a new President & Global CEO — with the objective of enhancing execution excellence and driving stronger growth outcomes for our clients. The new structure will go into effect on March 27, 2026.

In FY2025, despite the continued challenges in the overseas business amid a rapidly changing business environment, dentsu’s ongoing transformation is already establishing a solid foundation for its next phase of growth. Under the new management structure, dentsu will further strengthen execution by building on its solid business foundation, the culture it has cultivated as a global organization, and the heightened integrity and governance awareness now embedded across the group. These efforts will accelerate transformation and drive greater client growth, while deepening trust with key stakeholders—including clients, investors, and shareholders—and ensuring the sustainable enhancement of corporate value.

A significant change within the Global Management Team responsible for global management is Takeshi Sano’s appointment to President & Global CEO. Sano currently serves as CEO, dentsu Japan & Deputy Global Chief Operating Officer, dentsu.

Sano, who also serves as President & CEO of Dentsu Inc., the core operating company that generates approximately 40% of the Group’s net revenue and more than half of its underlying operating profit, has evolved Dentsu Inc. into a true Integrated Growth Partner, achieving 11 consecutive quarters of revenue growth and recording high profits for two consecutive years. In addition, since 2023, he has led the growth and global expansion of dentsu’s Business Transformation (BX) as BX CEO, dentsu.

Furthermore, from 2025, while serving as Deputy Global COO of dentsu and CEO of dentsu Japan, he has achieved significant results in global management based on the strong client trust built in the Japanese market, including strengthening the integration of the domestic and international operations, supporting Japanese clients in expanding their businesses overseas, and extending dentsu Japan’s capabilities into global markets. By continuing to serve as CEO of dentsu Japan in 2026, he will maintain the growth momentum of the Japan business, which underpins the Group’s consolidated performance, while creating further synergies between Japan and the overseas business. This will accelerate the execution of the midterm management plan and drive the recovery and growth of the overseas business.

In addition, as Dentsu Inc. aims to achieve further growth by maintaining and strengthening its speed of decision-making and execution as an operating company, Sano will step down from the position of Representative Director, President & CEO of Dentsu Inc. Chisato Matsumoto, who is serving as Director of Dentsu Inc., will assume Sano’s current role.

Comment from Takeshi Sano, Director, Representative Executive Officer, President & Global CEO, dentsu (Effective from March 27, 2026):
“Amid rapid shifts in our business and competitive environment, we continue to thoughtfully evolve our leadership approach and management practices to support the pace of our transformation and strengthen execution, all while maximizing our contribution to client growth. Dentsu will continue to sharpen the distinctive value that sets us apart and position ourselves as a true growth partner, supporting clients consistently from strategy through to execution. By creating momentum for our clients, partners, people, and society, we will reinforce trust with stakeholders and steadily advance the sustainable enhancement of our corporate value.”

• We have formed a new Global Management Team which prioritizes strengthening execution capabilities and accelerating the pace of transformation. Specifically, eliminating the Global COO role overseeing all regions and the Global President role overseeing all practices will allow the CEOs of each region and the Presidents of each practice—who build direct relationships with clients—to report directly to the Global CEO, enabling the management team to operate with greater unity and make swift decisions that prioritize client needs. Additionally, to accelerate global transformation, we have newly appointed a Global Chief Transformation Officer. Concurrently, to strengthen the governance foundation underpinning our global operations, we have also newly appointed a Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
• Yoshimasa Watahiki, COO, dentsu Japan, will assume the position of Director, Representative Executive Officer, Vice President and Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer. After joining Dentsu Inc., Watahiki worked in the media division before serving in several leadership roles within the business management division, where he led the development and execution of business strategies. Since 2020, he has been involved in managing the Dentsu Japan Network (now known as dentsu Japan) as an Executive Officer. In 2023, he was appointed COO, dentsu Japan, driving reforms across both business and management structures while also serving as a board member for numerous group companies and overseeing their governance and management. Going forward, Watahiki will continue in his role as COO, dentsu Japan, while expanding his executive capabilities to the global level, working alongside the Global Management Team headed by Sano. In his new role as Vice President and Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, he will primarily be responsible for overseeing governance. In addition, he is scheduled to assume the position of Director and Representative Executive Officer of dentsu, subject to the necessary approvals.
• Shigeki Endo will maintain his role as Global CFO. Endo has a track record spanning over 30 years of proven leadership experience in global finance. Starting his career at a Japanese trading company, he held positions in internal audit and CFO roles both within Japan and internationally at the US-based General Electric (GE) and British American Tobacco, accumulating extensive experience in global business operations. He subsequently served as Executive Officer and Japan CFO at Accenture Japan before joining dentsu in July 2024. Since February 2025, has accelerated business and management transformation from a finance perspective as Global CFO, dentsu. He has demonstrated exceptional execution capabilities, particularly in reviewing underperforming overseas businesses and rebuilding the management foundation, where he has delivered steady results. Moving forward, he will strive to enhance corporate value by strengthening the group’s financial foundation and achieving sustainable cash generation, thereby earning the trust of various stakeholders. Subject to the necessary approvals, he is also scheduled to assume the position of Director and Executive Officer at dentsu.

  _{* Takeshi Sano, Yoshimasa Watahiki and Shigeki Endo have been nominated as candidates for Director to be proposed at the 177th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for March 27, 2026. In addition, following the conclusion of the same Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, they will be appointed to Executive Officers at the Board of Directors meeting. Takeshi Sano and Yoshimasa Watahiki are expected to be appointed Representative Executive Officers.}

Global Management Team
The Global Management Team, consisting of the following 23 members, is responsible for managing the entire Group in approx. 120 countries, including the global headquarters, Dentsu Group Inc. Within this team, the members handling executive duties are referred to as “Global Executive Management.”

Global Executive Management appointments (13 leaders)
(Effective from March 27, 2026)

Change　in title	Position as of March 27, 2026	Name	Current position
**	Director, Representative Executive Officer, President & Global CEO, dentsu CEO, dentsu Japan	Takeshi Sano	Executive Officer, CEO, dentsu Japan & Deputy Global Chief Operating Officer, dentsu
**	Director, Representative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, dentsu	Yoshimasa Watahiki	COO, dentsu Japan
**	Director, Executive Officer, Global CFO, dentsu	Shigeki Endo	Executive Officer, Global CFO, dentsu
*	CEO, dentsu Americas & Chief Global Client Officer	Beth Ann Kaminkow	CEO, dentsu North America
	CEO, dentsu EMEA	Andre Andrade	CEO, dentsu EMEA
	CEO, dentsu APAC	Yuichi Toyoda	CEO, dentsu APAC
	Global Practice President – Media & Integrated Solution, dentsu	Will Swayne	Global Practice President – Media & Integrated Solution, dentsu
	Global Chief Creative Officer, dentsu	Yasuharu Sasaki	Global Chief Creative Officer, dentsu
	Global Practice President – CXM, dentsu	Pete Stein	Global Practice President – CXM, dentsu
	Global Chief HR Officer, dentsu	Miho Tanimoto	Global Chief HR Officer, dentsu
*	Global Chief Transformation Officer, dentsu	Noritaka Omi	Global Chief Business Operations Officer, dentsu
*	Global Chief Brand Officer, dentsu	Jean Lin	Global President – Global Practices, dentsu
*	Chief New Ventures Officer, dentsu	Yoshiki Ishihara	Global Chief Strategy Officer, dentsu

Global Management appointments (10 leaders) 
(Effective from March 27, 2026)

*	Corporate Secretary & Deputy General Counsel, dentsu	Tadashi Nagae	Global Corporate Secretary & Deputy Global General Counsel, dentsu
	Chief Intelligence Officer, dentsu	Kimiya Satake	Chief Intelligence Officer, dentsu
	Global Head of Internal Audit, dentsu	Hideo Hatano	Global Head of Internal Audit, dentsu
	Global General Counsel, dentsu	Alison Zoellner	Global General Counsel, dentsu
	Global Chief Sustainability Officer, dentsu	Yuko Kitakaze	Global Chief Sustainability Officer, dentsu
	Global Head of Internal Control & Risk, dentsu	So Aoki	Global Head of Internal Control & Risk, dentsu
	Global Chief Information Officer, dentsu	Alex Bedier	Global Chief Information Officer, dentsu
*	Chief of Staff, dentsu	Manus Wheeler	Chief Brand & Culture Officer, dentsu
	Global Chief Communications Officer, dentsu	Jeremy Miller	Global Chief Communications Officer, dentsu
	Chief Data & Technology Officer, dentsu	Shirli Zelcer	Chief Data & Technology Officer, dentsu

Representative Executive Officer Changes (as of March 27, 2026）

The following executives will step down from the Group Management Team: Hiroshi Igarashi (Director, Representative Executive Officer, President & Global CEO, dentsu), Arinobu Soga (Director, Representative Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Governance Officer, dentsu), and Giulio Malegori (Executive Officer, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Operating Officer, dentsu & Chairman, dentsu Americas) who will transition to become Executive Senior Advisor.

Details of each new role: (“dentsu” from each position is omitted.)

• Global Chief Corporate Affairs Officer
  Oversees group-wide governance, including Legal & Compliance, Internal Control & Risk, and Sustainability, ensuring robust corporate governance and accountability across the global organization.

• Chief Global Client Officer
  Leads the global client management strategy, aligning regions, categories, and capabilities to unlock growth opportunities and deliver consistent, long-term value for clients worldwide.

• Global Transformation Officer
  Accelerates enterprise-wide transformation by leading critical global initiatives and aligning strategies, operations, and technology across the organization.

• Global Chief Brand Officer
  Leads the group’s brand vision, positioning, and architecture, strengthening a consistent global brand story and reputation to drive strategic growth.

• Global New Ventures Officer
  Drives strategic growth by integrating high-potential global capabilities and accelerating new ventures from early exploration through to scalable business growth.

• Chief of Staff
  Supports the CEO Office by strengthening alignment between executive leadership and global business, enabling clearer prioritization, faster decision-making, and coordinated execution.

For further information, please refer to the following news releases on our website.
https://www.group.dentsu.com/en/news/release/

• Notice Regarding Candidates for Directors and Executive Officers of Dentsu Group Inc.
• Notice Regarding Change in Representative Executive Officer of Dentsu Group Inc.
• Notice Regarding Changes in Representative Director and President & CEO of Dentsu Inc.

Contact:
Group Corporate Communications Office
Dentsu Group Inc.    E-mail: [email protected]

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