SHANGHAI, CHINA — Dentsu China is excited to announce the appointment of Richard Tan as CEO of DENTSU CREATIVE China. Richard, based in Shanghai, will begin his role effective November 16, 2022, and report to Deric Wong, CEO of Dentsu China.
Richard will lead DENTSU CREATIVE’s 1,200-strong team in China across offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, and Wuhan and is responsible for accelerating growth for the group’s extensive client-based while championing innovation through Horizontal Creativity to drive greater integration of our Creative Services to Media and Customer Experience Management.
Before joining DENTSU CREATIVE, Richard held several senior management roles as Country Head in agency networks in China over the past 20 years, including Euro RSCG, DDB, and Mullenlowe China. A reputable and hands-on veteran with experiences across industry sectors, including Automotive, FMCG, Luxury, Wine & Spirits and Technology clients – Richard is known for his success in steering the integration of agencies’ offerings and establishing contemporary digital-centric solutions.
Richard replaces the incumbent DENTSU CREATIVE China CEO, Keita Ishikawa, who will move to a management role in Dentsu Inc., based in Japan. Under Ishikawa’s leadership, DENTSU CREATIVE China has enjoyed a period of positive transformation to accelerate innovation for clients, enhance capabilities including the launch of Dentsu Next, Dentsu Z, and Dentsu Hub, streamlined operations, and improved profitability. Most recently, Ishikawa stewarded the launch of DENTSU CREATIVE, the offering of which is poised to transform brands and businesses through the lens of Modern Creativity, to deliver ideas that Create Culture, Change Society, and Invent the Future.
At the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June, Dentsu International launched DENTSU CREATIVE, an entirely new global creative network that addresses clients’ need for simplicity. DENTSU CREATIVE unites Dentsu’s creative agencies and expands its entertainment, earned attention, and experience footprint.
DENTSU CREATIVE will blend Dentsu’s unique DNA of Japanese heritage and craft, with its rich experience of building brands in the modern media landscape using customer data to deliver ideas that are big enough to live anywhere, bold enough to chart new executional territory and rich enough to connect personally with millions.
Dentsu China China Executive Officer Deric Wong said, “I am pleased to welcome Richard as he takes on the leadership of DENTSU CREATIVE China. We live in a time of exciting possibilities and Richard as a seasoned agency leader will continue to build on the momentum with dynamism. Our leadership team looks to work closely with Richard, to continue building on our bold strategies to fuel market-leading growth and help brands create lasting good with meaningful progress, as Dentsu continues to evolve in China’s digital era.”
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Keita-san for everything we’ve achieved together under his transformative leadership and wish him our best in his new role,” added Deric.
Dentsu Creative APAC Chief Executive Officer Cheuk Chiang noted, “There is no creative leader in China more experienced than Richard. As we take DENTSU CREATIVE to the next level, he is well-placed to deliver success. He lives and breathes Creativity. He is client-centric. He is passionate about the value of Creativity and how it transforms brands and businesses. He shares our common vision for Creative at Dentsu and we believe he’s the best person to bring this vision to life in China.”
On his recent appointment, newly-minted Dentsu Creative China Chief Executive Officer Richard Tan commented, “I am passionate about balancing bold creativity with sustained business impact in China’s dynamic digital ecosystem. I love where DENTSU CREATIVE is heading and leading with ‘Modern Creativity’… through a simplified but compelling proposition that navigates practical challenges in the modern world of complexity. I am also excited about DENTSU CREATIVE’s new focus on ‘inclusive innovation’ that resonates strongly in today’s modern world – where people are provided with the opportunity to innovate and drive change to ensure that different perspectives and experiences are incorporated… that as a whole, we can create much greater impact, than the sum of the parts – together with our partners and peers in the creative industry.”
