Dentsu Americas CEO Jacki Kelley departs for IPG

Jacki Kelley.

Credit: Dentsu

Dentsu Americas CEO Jacki Kelley is leaving to join Interpublic Group of Cos. as executive VP, chief client officer and chief business officer. Both are newly created roles for the holding company.

Michael Komasinski will succeed Kelley as CEO of Dentsu Americas, effective July 1.

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The move marks a return to IPG for Kelley, who previously served as the North America CEO and president of global clients at IPG Mediabrands. Kelley, who joined Dentsu in 2019, was also global CEO of UM, the IPG media agency.

“IPG is where I learned the importance of ‘work you love, with people you love’—a beautiful statement coined by The Martin Agency’s late and amazing Mike Hughes,” Kelley said in a statement. “Our industry is the ultimate team sport, and I am excited to return to the field with IPG’s dynamic leaders and strong agency brands.”

Kelley “has played an important role over the last four years and we appreciate her leadership,” a Dentsu spokesman said in a statement.

Komasinski will remain the global CEO of Merkle for the “near term,” a role he was named to in 2021, according to a spokesman for Dentsu. 

Komasinski “led the accelerated growth of Merkle and Dentsu’s international CXM capabilities, as well as being a partner to the Americas executive team,” the Dentsu spokesperson said. “Michael is an astute and accomplished leader, one who has the ability to quickly and deeply get to grips with unique client challenges, while always seeing the bigger picture.”

Kelley is the latest executive to depart Dentsu within the past few months. In March, Dentsu Creative’s chief creative officer Fred Levron left the agency under a “mutual agreement.” 

Brian Bonilla covers ad agencies, including creative and media shops, experiential, health care agencies and more. He previously covered the private equity industry as a reporter for PEI Media.