Dentsu Aegis hands top EMEA role to data boss Walker

Dentsu Aegis Network, the group behind the likes of Merkle, Gyro, iProspect, Carat and Posterscope, is aiming to reinforce its data-driven marketing credentials by appointing chief data and digital officer Lauren Walker as regional operating officer for the entire EMEA territory.
Walker joined the group in 2017 and led a team of more than 500 people across market research, social science, digital and data science, and engineering.
Prior to that she spent a decade at IBM, where Walker held a raft of senior roles, latterly head of data strategy, partnerships and business development for Europe.
Earlier in her career, Walker was also director of competitive stratagy at Choicepoint, now part of LexisNexis, and spent two years as a special advisor to the director of The White House in Washington DC.
Walker said: “I’ve spent 15 years working in this field and there is no more exciting place to put that experience and passion for data and technology to work than Dentsu Aegis Network.”
Meanwhile, George Patten joins Dentsu Aegis Network after 15 years at Accenture to take on the regional operating officer role for Asia-Pacific.
Patten, who was most recently managing director of Accenture Interactive operations across South-East Asia, previously worked at Media Audits, PHD Media and OMD UK.
Walker and Patten will report to global president of business operations, Volker Doberanzke, who joined in March, as well as their respective Dentsu Aegis regional CEOs.