Dentsu APAC CEO Robert Gilby steps down

Robert Gilby has stepped down as chief executive officer of Dentsu APAC. He announced the departure in a LinkedIn post. Appointed in September 2022, Gilby succeeded Ashish Bhasin.

Before joining Dentsu, Gilby was president of APAC region at Nielsen, focusing on building relationships with key media stakeholders to provide audience insights. Earlier, he founded and led Blue Hat Ventures, an advisory firm dedicated to scaling high-growth digital media businesses in Asia Pacific.

Speaking about his next role, Gilby stated in the post, "For now I’ll take a break, spend quality time with family and get healthier. Before I return for the next chapter, I’m excited to use the coming months to focus on personal growth - accelerating my AI transition; immersing myself in marketing and creative thought leadership; deepening my sustainability and NED knowledge; and reconnecting with friends across the exciting media landscape of Asia Pacific and beyond."

With almost 30 years of experience in the media and entertainment sector, Gilby has spent over 25 years working in the Asia Pacific region. He has held leadership positions at The Walt Disney Company, Warner Media, and PwC, gaining deep expertise in markets like China, India, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

Dentsu group reported an improvement of 0.2% organic revenues YoY in the second quarter ended June 30, 2024. The advertising network's APAC organic revenue for Q2 was -6.2%, compared to a -7.1% decline in Q1.