Anne Stagg nets top UK Merkle job in Dentsu shake-up

Dentsu UK & Ireland has promoted Merkle’s head of client services Anne Stagg to be the first dedicated chief executive of the UK agency as well as spearhead the customer experience marketing (CXM) division in yet another senior appointment for the group.

Stagg joined the agency last year from Indicia to lead Merkle’s client services team in the EMEA region, but will now be in charge of a business of 940 people, while also overseeing Dentsu’s CXM division, which incorporates data and analytics, CRM, commerce, media, digital experience services and B2B.

Having held senior roles at Communisis, More2, Experian and Valassis, Stagg joined Indicia in 2014 as client services director, and was promoted to MD within the year. She also acted as chief client officer for its parent KMMS, managing Indicia’s effective integration into the business.

She switched to Merkle in May last year, and, according to Dentsu, she has been an instrumental part of the agency’s growth since then. She has also led the creation of a fully integrated client services team across the company’s media, analytics, customer experience and technology service lines, driving growth across key clients to support them on their transformational journey.

In her new role, Stagg will ensure that Dentsu’s data and digital transformation capabilities are combined to help existing and new clients across the businesses ten locations throughout the UK and Ireland.

Reporting into both Margaret Wagner, the incoming president of Merkle and CEO of Dentsu’s CXM division in EMEA who was appointed last month, and Dentsu UK & Ireland CEO Euan Jarvie, she will also drive greater integration with the group’s media and creative agencies.

Jarvie said: “Even prior to the pandemic, consumers were understandably expecting top-tier online experiences across a growing range of touchpoints with brands, and that’s only grown as we navigate Covid. Anne’s appointment is timely, as we further integrate our data and digital capabilities to augment what we can offer clients, in line with their customers’ evolving needs. She brings the perfect experience to truly establish our CXM proposition as a market leader.”

Stagg added: “This is a unique opportunity, to take on the role as Merkle’s first UK CEO in a time when we are reimagining the customer experience in the digital landscape. We are continuously improving our capabilities and the potential for our CXM line of businesses is tremendous when it comes to driving and supporting our clients’ digital transformations.”

Since launching in the UK just over five years ago, Merkle has expanded from 20 to 940 people across six offices, working across media, analytics, data, technology, commerce and B2B.

TOPICS:agency news data-driven marketing Merkle