Joanne Leong — EVP, Head of Global Media Partnerships at dentsu

Joanne Leong has been appointed as Executive Vice President (EVP) and Head of Global Media Partnerships at dentsu, one of the world's largest advertising and marketing services groups. In this senior leadership role, Leong is responsible for overseeing and managing dentsu's global media partnership strategy, which encompasses relationships with major media platforms, publishers, and technology vendors across the global advertising ecosystem. This appointment reflects dentsu's continued investment in strengthening its media capabilities and partnership infrastructure at a global scale. Leong's elevation to this EVP-level position signals dentsu's prioritization of media partnerships as a core strategic pillar. Global media partnerships at a holding company of dentsu's scale involve negotiating and managing relationships with platforms such as Google, Meta, Amazon, and other major media owners, as well as emerging channels in CTV, retail media, and programmatic. The role carries significant commercial and strategic weight, influencing how dentsu's agency brands — including Carat, iProspect, and dentsu X — access media inventory and technology solutions for their clients. This leadership change is notable within the AdTech and media agency ecosystem as holding companies increasingly compete on the strength of their platform partnerships and data-driven media capabilities. Securing experienced leadership in global media partnerships is a competitive differentiator, particularly as the industry navigates signal loss from cookie deprecation, the rise of retail media networks, and the growing complexity of cross-channel media planning and buying.

Dentsu's appointment of Joanne Leong as EVP, Head of Global Media Partnerships reinforces the holding company's strategic focus on deepening and formalizing its relationships with major media platforms and technology partners. In an era where media agencies are under pressure to demonstrate differentiated value — through preferential access to inventory, data partnerships, and technology integrations — having dedicated senior leadership for global media partnerships is increasingly critical. This move positions dentsu to negotiate more effectively with platform giants and emerging media owners alike. From a competitive standpoint, this appointment mirrors similar strategic investments made by rival holding companies such as WPP, Publicis Groupe, and IPG, all of which have elevated their media partnership functions in response to the growing complexity of the media landscape. The role is particularly relevant as retail media networks, CTV platforms, and clean room technologies require bespoke partnership frameworks that go beyond traditional media buying relationships. Leong's mandate likely includes navigating these emerging channels and ensuring dentsu's agency brands have early and preferential access to new ad products and data capabilities. For the broader AdTech ecosystem, this leadership change underscores the continued consolidation of media buying power within large holding companies and the premium placed on relationship management with technology and media platforms. It may also signal dentsu's intent to accelerate its platform partnership agreements, potentially influencing how mid-tier and independent agencies access similar tools and inventory, as holding company deals often shape broader market pricing and access dynamics.