Takeshi Sano: dentsu by numbers

Dentsu, currently marking its 125th anniversary, began as a small news reporting and advertising agency in Tokyo and has gradually evolved into one of the most influential creative and communications networks on the planet, operating in over 120 countries.

In his first major appearance since being appointed to the role, the man leading that company, president and global CEO Takeshi Sano, took to the Debussy Stage on Tuesday

afternoon, in conversation with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin.

He reflected on dentsu’s founding ethos, the culture that has shaped thecompany, and how it will approach the challenges to come. Picking up on its history, Sano said the numbers one, two and five help represent what defines dentsu.

“One — we work as one team with our clients. Two is our two superpowers — innovation and impact,” he said.

“And five are the qualities that shape our cultures: curiosity, mutual respect, human creativity, correlation and, most important, trust.”

Looking to the future, the industry faces three major challenges, he said. The pace of change, complexity and sameness. “The pace of change means we need agility. The complexity means we need simplicity,” he said.

“AI tends to make sameness, so we need to bring more distinctiveness.”

Asked about his leadership style, Sano stressed the importance of client centricty. Prior to taking on the role as global CEO, Sano was running dentsu’s Japanese business where there are some particularly long-term relationships — in some cases clients have been with dentsu for more than 100 years. But Sano noted, while building a strong relationship and trust, “client-centricity does not mean we should say yes to everything. Sometimes we should say no to the client because that is based on our client’s interest.”