Dentsu Aegis Network SG restructures media business, sees 2% jobs cuts

Dentsu Aegis Network is restructuring its media and performance business in Singapore. Moving forward there will be two verticals that will host Carat, Vizeum, Dentsu X and iProspect. These will be the Brand Solutions business and One Singapore Media Group, also incorporating Amplifi. Meanwhile, a DAN Client Solutions virtual team will sit across all brands to drive best practice.The Brand Solutions team, which has more of an APAC focus, will be in charge of new business and new product creation, with a strong backing on data analytics. Leading the team is Joanna Catalano who was last CEO of iProspect Asia Pacific. She will double hat as CEO of iProspect as well as the lead for the new unit. Previously, Catalano was the head of APAC agency business at Google. Catalano has over 20 years’ experience in the America, Western and Eastern European countries. She joined Dentsu early 2017.Meanwhile the One Singapore Media Group will consisting of Vizeum, Carat, iProspect, Dentsu X and Amplifi, will be servicing existing local clients in Singapore, as well as regional clients with a hub in the Singapore market. Leading the operations will be Jonathan Chadwick, who in June last year was appointed as CEO of Carat Asia Pacific. Chadwick was previously CEO of Maxus Australia and holds over 22 years’ media agency experience. He held a range of senior leadership roles around the world, which included managing the Unilever relationship across Asia Pacific, leading the Nike assignment in Europe and then globally.DAN Client Solutions Virtual team meanwhile, is as the name suggests, a virtual team that is in charge of coming up with best in class solutions for clients.In a conference call with the press, Nick Waters, CEO Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific  and Phil Teeman , CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network SEA said the restructure is to meet industry challenges and will see a reduction in staff count by 2%, across the various levels. The two added that the evolved structure is only for the media agency side of the business as of now and will not impact the creative offering. It is also a Singapore only initiative given the market holds a unique position of having both local and regional marketing teams.Waters added, “Last year in Singapore we initiated a transformation programme to support our business now and for the future. We took steps to bring together regional and local market teams based in Singapore, and this week we are taking another step towards creating a business that is built around our clients’ changing needs.”Waters said that this also comes as MNC's eyed a more localised structure in markets such as Singapore.“Working groups have been formed over the past six months to look at how we organise ourselves at Dentsu Aegis Network. This week we will take steps to create an effective structure that supports changing client needs to further activate our operating model of one P+L per market and give us the ability to build up our offering in the faster moving areas of the business. These changes are purposefully put in place before my move to lead the business in the UK and Ireland to complete the work done over the past six months and set the region up for future success.”The changes come as Waters looks to move to the UK next month to take on the role of executive chairman of Dentsu Aegis Network UK and Ireland. Meanwhile, the agency is also in the midst of a global pitch for clients Singapore Airlines, Marketing understands.