Stagwell is giving its global media business a new leadership configuration as the marketing network names Liz Rutgersson as the new Chief Executive Officer of Assembly, while Connie Chan takes charge of the agency’s Asia Pacific operations.

The appointments, effective September 14, place two experienced media and marketing executives at the heart of Assembly’s expansion plans, with Rutgersson assuming responsibility for the agency globally and across North America and Chan taking the CEO brief for Assembly APAC.

Howeve, Rutgersson will report directly to Slavi Samardzija, Stagwell’s Global Chair of Media and Commerce, and will be charged with translating Assembly’s international scale into stronger client relationships, business growth and measurable performance.

Furthermore, her appointment brings a new chapter to Assembly’s global leadership following the exit from the CEO position of Rick Acampora, who has moved into a wider Stagwell assignment focused on developing a new corporate trade and barter business.

In the same vein, that venture, Tradewell Solutions, is expected to expand Stagwell’s commercial offering, with the network set to release more information about the business later in the year.

For Rutgersson, the move represents a return to the top of a global media operation after a career spanning more than two decades.

She joins Assembly from dentsu, where she spent 16 years building experience across brand development, media strategy, digital, analytics and search optimisation. Before joining Assembly, she served as Chief Executive Officer of iProspect North America for three years.

Meanwhile, her career has also involved work for international brands such as Hilton, eBay, Salesforce, Ferrero, Dollar General and Tesco, giving her exposure to diverse markets and complex client businesses.

At Assembly, Rutgersson will now focus on converting that experience into growth for the agency, with client success, commercial performance and stronger partnerships forming key parts of her mandate.

She said her career has been shaped by the conviction that agencies should do more than react to industry shifts. In her view, the strongest agencies should play an active role in shaping the next phase of the market.

Rutgersson also pointed to Assembly’s combination of talent, international reach and connected capabilities as a strong foundation for its next stage. She plans to organise those strengths around the changing needs of clients while keeping business performance at the centre of the agency’s work.

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In APAC, Stagwell is equally strengthening its leadership structure with Chan’s elevation to CEO of Assembly APAC. Chan will combine the new Assembly responsibility with her existing position as Chief Growth Officer of Stagwell APAC, giving her an expanded role across both the agency and the wider regional network.

With roughly three decades of experience in media, marketing and business management, Chan has already played a significant role in Stagwell’s regional growth.

Her work has included developing new business, expanding client relationships and strengthening the network’s media and digital capabilities across major APAC markets.

Her immediate focus at Assembly APAC will include helping clients respond to a marketing environment being reshaped by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

Chan believes technology alone will not determine which businesses gain an advantage. Instead, she argues that organisations will need to combine technological capability with human creativity and strategic thinking to turn new tools into meaningful business value.

She also sees AI as an opportunity to increase scale and efficiency while allowing creative and strategic capabilities to remain central to how brands compete.

Samardzija welcomed the appointments, pointing to the executives’ experience in growing advertiser businesses, developing strong teams and helping clients respond to significant changes in the media industry.

According to him, Rutgersson and Chan bring the kind of commercial and leadership experience Assembly needs as the agency moves into its next phase.

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The leadership changes also fit into Stagwell’s wider effort to reshape and expand its media proposition across international markets.

Over recent months, the network has introduced new offerings including The Media Machine and Stagwell Search+, while also establishing a new APAC headquarters in Singapore.

Beyond new products and infrastructure, Stagwell has continued to deepen its regional capabilities through the integration of Assembly and ADK GLOBAL, broadening the network’s reach and strengthening its presence across Asia Pacific.

Against that backdrop, Rutgersson’s appointment gives Assembly a global CEO with responsibility for both worldwide operations and its North American business, while Chan brings a dedicated leadership focus to APAC.

The transition will also receive support from Jill Kelly, the former CEO of Assembly North America, who will assist with the handover. As the agency begins the next phase under its new leadership structure, Stagwell is betting on a combination of experienced management, stronger regional coordination and an expanded media capability to drive Assembly’s growth across key markets.

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