Dentsu X appoints new global brand president

Dentsu X has appointed iProspect's Shenda Loughnane as its new global brand president, handing her responsibility for leading the global media agency's clients and growth strategy.

Loughnane succeeds Sanjay Azim Nazerali, who is leaving the role after nearly three years and the broader agency group after more than 10.

Loughnane has 30 years' experience at media and creative agencies across the globe. Dentsu said her career trajectory made her "invaluable for shaping the future of Dentsu X as it embraces the rapid transformation of the media ecosystem".

Reporting to Dentsu global practice president for media Will Swayne, who was recently appointed to the role as part of a raft of leadership changes, Loughnane will represent Dentsu X on Dentsu's global media executive leadership team. She will oversee her own global team, supporting Dentsu X in the 52 markets it operates in.

She officially takes on the post from 1 January and will be based jointly in Dublin, where she lives, and Dentsu's London global HQ.

She joins Dentsu X from sister agency iProspect, where she has been global managing director for the past two years, before which she was group managing director of Dentsu Ireland. She has been at the group for 12 years, joining as head of digital at then-Aegis Media. Prior to that, her experience spanned agencies including Zenith.

Swayne said: "Within our global media practice at Dentsu, Dentsu X has always been the experience-led agency network which excels at bringing together the best people, capabilities and innovations to meet our client's needs.

"Shenda's strategic vision, collaborative approach, winning mindset, and her passion for pushing media boundaries is exactly what will create incremental growth for our Dentsu X clients. With Shenda at the helm, I can't wait to see how Dentsu X builds on its positive momentum from the past few years."

Loughnane added: "Dentsu X is such a unique agency proposition. Born in the east, it is the perfect marriage of innovation, creativity and delivery of business outcomes, wrapped up in the spirit of a challenger brand and with an innate ethos of collaboration and agility in building teams and solving client challenges.

"It's that edginess and spirit which really attracted me to the brand and I'm really looking forward to getting started."

Dentsu, which is pursuing a "One Dentsu" operating model as it reshapes itself on the global stage, has been making several senior changes, in addition to October's new leadership structure. Last week, it announced the appointment of Hamish Kinniburgh as global chief strategy and consultancy officer, media.