Dentsu Aegis sees regional business split into 3, Susana Tsui exits

Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) is splitting its Asia Pacific regional business into three clusters from the original five. The restructure sees Susana Tsui (pictured), CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network China, exiting the agency after taking on the role last year.The clusters are – Greater South (including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia and Myanmar), Greater North (consisting of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea) and ANZ (Australia and New Zealand). Meanwhile, Singapore will remain unaffected. As a key regional hub, the Singapore business will be separated from Greater South and led by Masaya Nakamura, in addition to his roles as deputy chairman and chief growth officer of the APAC business.In January, DAN restructured its media and performance business in Singapore, settling on two verticals - Brand Solutions business and One Singapore Media Group. A DAN Client Solutions virtual team was also formed to sit across all brands to drive best practice.Replacing Tsui is Michelle Lau who is returning to the business and has helmed various leadership roles with the group between 2003 and 2015. Jean Lin will work closely with Lau as non-executive chairperson of Dentsu Aegis Network China, in addition to her role as global CEO of Isobar.Ashish Bhasin (pictured left), chairman and CEO, South Asia of DAN, has been promoted to CEO of the expanded Greater South region and will continue to be based in India. Executive chairman of DAN APAC, Takaki Hibino (pictured centre) will oversee Greater North in the interim, while a search is underway for the Greater North CEO. Recently joined Henry Tajer (pictured right) will continue to lead the ANZ business.“I thank Tsui for her leadership and many contributions she made to our business in China and wish her all the best for the future. Lau is a great leader and candidate for the role, especially considering her wealth of experience with the group. Lau as lead and Lin taking on the chairperson role at Dentsu Aegis Network China will support the growth and further development of this highly important market," Hibino said.He added that the new structure will give leaders the ability to run their markets with autonomy and speed, as business is happening at an increasingly faster pace in every market across this region."Our clients’ needs are evolving, so simplifying structures and bringing a level of autonomy to the clusters gives these diverse businesses the ability to respond to clients’ changing needs in an effective way," he added.