Dentsu promotes Michael Komasinski to global CEO of Merkle

Dentsu International has promoted Michael Komasinski as global chief executive officer, Merkle. He is also a member of the Dentsu International executive team. He replaces Craig Dempster who has been a member of the Merkle executive leadership team for nearly 15 years. Komasinski joined the network after Merkle’s acquisition in 2016.

Komasinski is currently president of Merkle/CXM, Americas, and leader of the Dentsu Customer Experience Management (CXM) Service Line in the Americas, overseeing all aspects of Merkle’s Americas regional operation. Komasinski will commence his role on 1 January and will report to Wendy Clark. The new president of Merkle Americas will be announced in due course.

Dempster, meanwhile, will retire from the business at the end of the year. 

Komasinski has led Merkle across two of Dentsu’s three regions. Joining Merkle seven years ago as chief operating officer of Agency Services, he went on to become president of Merkle’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa region (EMEA), leading a business of US$400 million-plus in net revenue. 

Clark, global CEO Dentsu International, said, “Michael’s track record speaks for itself. He inspires and leads teams in developing impactful, data-driven and tech-enabled customer experiences while building lasting and values-based relationships with clients."

Komasinski said he is excited to lead Merkle into its next phase of growth and the network's talent would be a key focus as he steps up into his new role. "Talent is the lifeblood of brands like Merkle and it is a key focus in the pandemic era as the labour market tightens and we pivot to hybrid ways of working.”