Dentsu Group has unveiled a major leadership shake-up, as its current president and global CEO, Hiroshi Igarashi, is due to resign by March.

The global company announced that Igarashi, whose departure closes a 42-year chapter with the group that began in 1984, will be succeeded by longtime company executive, Takeshi Sano.

Sano isn’t new to Dentsu. He joined in April 1992 and has climbed through multiple senior roles. He ran the business transformation division in 2021, became CEO of that unit in 2023, and then took charge of Dentsu Japan. Since January 2024, he’s been director, president and CEO of Dentsu Inc., whilst also serving as deputy global chief operating officer for the broader group.

The reshuffle extends beyond the CEO seat. Yoshimasa Watahiki moves up to executive officer, executive vice president and global chief corporate affairs officer for Dentsu, whilst retaining his role as COO of Dentsu Japan.

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Watahiki has been with the company since April 1990 and currently chairs the Japan Interactive Advertising Association. He also sits on the board of Dentsu Sports International and holds 19,221 shares as of 13 February.

Two executives are leaving the top table. Igarashi exits the CEO role entirely, whilst Arinobu Soga, currently executive officer, executive vice president and global chief governance officer, will resign as executive officer.

In the finance function, Shigeki Endo gets elevated from executive officer and global CFO to director, executive officer and global CFO. Endo’s CV includes finance stints at ITOCHU, GE, BAT and Accenture Japan before joining Dentsu as global CFO designate in July 2024. He formally assumed the CFO role in February 2025.

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Meanwhile, Chisato Matsumoto will take over as director, president and CEO of Dentsu Inc.

Dentsu framed the changes as necessary to strengthen competitiveness and push transformation forward under new management. The company has been under pressure to modernise its operations and adapt to shifting client demands in a fragmented media landscape.

For Igarashi, the exit closes a long tenure that saw Dentsu navigate multiple industry shifts, from traditional advertising dominance to the digital era’s disruption. His successor inherits a group still working to prove it can compete effectively against global rivals whilst maintaining its stronghold in Japan.

The leadership transition comes as holding companies across the advertising industry face questions about their relevance and structure. Consultancies have eroded traditional agency territory, clients have brought capabilities in-house, and the old holding company model looks increasingly strained.

Whether Sano’s appointment signals genuine strategic change or simply a changing of the guard will become clear in the months ahead. What’s certain is that Dentsu’s new leadership team will need to move quickly to demonstrate they can deliver the transformation the company keeps promising.