Dentsu UK&I has overhauled its senior team with the appointment of James Bailey as media CEO, and Shenda Loughnane in the expanded role of market lead for Ireland, and global president of Dentsu X.
Bailey will report to Dentsu UK&I chief executive Annette Male, while Loughnane will report jointly to media global practice president Will Swayne and to Bailey.
Bailey steps up from his role as CEO of iProspect UK, where he has led the agency since its 2021 consolidation (with Vizeum) and created a unified agency operating across six locations. During his tenure, he has secured major account wins including Kering, eBay, Netflix and Tapestry.
His appointment comes at a period of accelerated growth for Dentsu’s UK&I media business. The agency’s media++ strategy positions media as the engine that powers client growth and creative marketing services, bringing together audience strategy, activation, content supply chains, CRM, data and technology.
Bailey takes over from Loughnane, who has led the UK&I media organisation on an interim basis since July 2025, in addition to her existing role as global brand president of Dentsu X. She will continue to be based out of Dublin.
Loughnane brings 30 years of experience spanning media, creative and global market leadership. During her 12 years at Dentsu, she has also served as global managing director of iProspect and group managing director of Dentsu Ireland.
Annette Male said: “James and Shenda represent exactly the kind of leadership we need. James has built something transformational at iProspect, proving that exceptional agencies can be built on regional talent and distributed models.
“As media CEO for Dentsu UK&I, he’ll ensure that each of our media brands has the resources and ambition to drive the greatest growth for our clients. Shenda brings decades of experience driving growth through innovation and collaboration, and her leadership across Dentsu Ireland will further strengthen our capabilities and client service in the market.”
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