Dentsu Network/Asia strengthens regional management team as industry veteran Kakegawa relocates to Singapore

Dentsu Network/Asia today announced the addition of Aki Kakegawa to the senior management team. He joins as Senior Vice President and Director of Multinational Clients, based in Singapore, and will report to Dick van Motman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Network/Asia.

Kakegawa joined Dentsu in 1989, and has spent the last five years as Senior Vice President and International Account Director of Dentsu Network based in New York. Here he was responsible for managing clients across the Americas and worked closely with Dentsu Network’s President and CEO Tim Andree on Dentsu’s transition to global network status.

Kakegawa will play a key role at Dentsu Network/Asia in enhancing the market position of the firm, with a focus on development and expansion. In addition, he will manage key client relationships across ASEAN and Australia, while driving Dentsu’s Client Council, as part of the Network’s Regional Council structure.

“I am delighted to welcome Aki to the team here in Singapore. He brings with him a wealth of experience, boasting an impressive track record of delivering consistent ROI for the business across Japan, the US and South America. This is an exciting time for Dentsu as we continue to expand across the regions, strengthening our offering to provide clients with the results-driven creative innovation they have come to expect. Aki has been a central part of the growth of the Dentsu Network globally, and I very much look forward to seeing him in action in Singapore,” said Dick van Motman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Network/Asia.

Kakegawa has over 24 years of experience working across multiple industries, servicing top-tier clients including Toyota and Canon. He studied Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2001, before being appointed to support Dentsu’s top management in its transformation period following its initial public offering and the establishment of Dentsu’s headquarters in the Shiodome district of Minato, Tokyo. In 2004, Kakegawa was promoted to Strategic Planning Director, to oversee the launch of Toyota’s Lexus brand in Japan.

“I am very pleased to join Dentsu’s Regional Management team in Singapore at a time when we are seeing extensive growth in the market across South East Asia, with many companies looking to expand into this region. My move to Dentsu Network/Asia puts me in a unique position to facilitate this process, providing added value to our clients, building new relationships for the business, whilst also strengthening Dentsu’s presence in these unique and rapidly expanding markets. I am thrilled to be back in Asia and look forward to working with Dick to see the true globalisation of the Dentsu Network realised across ASEAN and Australia,” said Aki Kakegawa.

Dentsu Network/Asia employs 1,500 people across 22 offices in 9 countries. Most recently, it opened an office in Myanmar, and strengthened its Vietnam operations at the management level.