dentsu APAC CEO Rob Gilby moves on

Rob Gilby, CEO of dentsu APAC, is moving on after a two-year stint with the company.  Gilby was appointed CEO, dentsu APAC in September 2022.

“Rob Gilby has stepped down from his position as CEO, APAC, dentsu to pursue new opportunities. Rob has provided significant leadership across our markets, brands and practices in the region and as a member of the Group Executive Management team as we transition to One dentsu. During his tenure, Rob has fortified the leadership team, enhanced core capabilities and aligned with the new Group strategy to offer integrated, client-centric growth solutions from across dentsu’s practices. We are grateful for his contributions,” the company said in a statement.

 “As we search for a new APAC CEO, our leaders in the established cluster markets, powered by a strong regional Clients, Business and Function team will work through the Group Strategy Unit, under the leadership of Yoshiki Ishihara, Global Chief Strategy Officer, with the full support of Global President & CEO, Hiro Igarashi, ensuring a continued client-centric approach and progress of the One dentsu performance and growth agenda. We thank Rob for his dedication and commitment to our organisation and wish him success in his future endeavours,” the statement added.

Rob has almost three decades of experience in the media & entertainment industry and has worked in the Asia Pacific region for over 25 years. He has a proven track-record of growing profitable businesses for global multinationals including The Walt Disney Company, Warnermedia and PwC with extensive experience in markets that include China, India, Australia and Southeast Asia.

Rob joined dentsu from Nielsen where he was President, APAC responsible for building relationships with key media owners, brands and agencies to deliver audience insights across the media ecosystem. Prior to that he was CEO & Founder, Blue Hat Ventures, an investment and advisory firm focused on identifying and commercialising high-growth businesses in the Digital Media sector in Asia Pacific. 

He has held non-executive advisory and board roles with Singapore’s Ministry of Communications & Information, the InfoComm Media Development Authority and as Chair, Singapore Media Festival.