Dentsu's Tim Andree takes leave of absence

Dentsu Group announced that Tim Andree, executive vice president of Dentsu Group Inc and executive chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, will be taking a leave of absence for health-related reasons.

Toshihiro Yamamoto, representative director, president and CEO of Dentsu Group Inc, will take on the additional role of acting executive chairman and CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network in the interim.

In addition, the company said, three other senior executives—Valerie Scoular, executive senior advisor of Dentsu Group Inc, Nick Priday, CFO of Dentsu Aegis Network and executive officer of Dentsu Group Inc, and Takaki Hibino, executive officer of Dentsu Group Inc—will take on a combined advisory role supporting Yamamoto.

“I have worked with Tim for many years," Yamamoto said in a release. "He is loyal, committed and a trusted long-term leader within the Dentsu family. Tim has the full and ongoing support of the Dentsu Board. Matters of health are the most important and I encourage him to take the time he needs to return to full health. We wish him a very speedy and full recovery.”

Andree, 59, became Dentsu's first non-Japanese board member in 2013 after engineering the US$5 billion acquisition of Aegis and ascended to DAN CEO in January last year. Described as a genial giant (he's 6'11"), Andree joined Dentsu in 2006 following many years at Toyota and stints with Canon and BASF, all of which followed his several year career as a professional basketball player.