It was never going to be long before Ete Davis was snapped up. He quit his role as CEO of Engine in January, ahead of the £77.5m sale to Next 15 in March, and is now joining Dentsu as EMEA chief operating officer of creative.
Davis will report to Dentsu’s EMEA and UK CEO of creative, James Morris, with a remit to make Dentsu a more diverse and integrated network. The creative arm is chiefly DentsuMB and Isobar, but it also includes John Brown Media and Gleam as well as some others around the EMEA region.
In just two years at Engine, Davis brought a lot of energy and talent into the agency, as well as growth, and Dentsu will be hoping he can do the same there. Dentsu has increased commitment to its creative arm, which employs 2,100 people in 29 markets and was its fastest growth area in 2021.
Davies said: “Many organisations talk about being ‘data-driven’, ‘tech-enabled’ and ‘ideas-led’. But very few have the genuine breadth and depth in their capabilities, moreover the clarity of vision, to effectively bring it all together through the most important element of all, brilliant people. Dentsu has all of this in abundance. The momentum at dentsu is palpable; it’s an exciting time to join.”
Morris said: “We have a clear vision of what the future looks like, and the right leadership is essential to help us get there. “Ete is an outstanding talent, who is as creative as he is commercial. We care about the same things and share the same values. I know we’re going to build something exceptional together with the team across EMEA.”
