NYC, 13th March 2026 — Dentsu today announced the appointment of Chrissie Hanson as North America Media CEO and Global Brand President of Carat, reinforcing the company’s commitment to driving client growth through its three differentiated global media brands, united by a common operating system and powering Media as the flywheel for growth.
Hanson is a transformative leader bringing a proven track record of leading global media networks, driving growth, and shaping award-winning media excellence.
Prior to joining dentsu, she held the role of US CEO, OMD USA, delivering consistent year-on-year growth and securing marquee wins. Previous roles include Global Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Partner at OMD Worldwide, operating across major clients and global portfolios, along with various roles at Mediacom, and Carat in London.
Hanson’s leadership has earned industry-wide recognition, including Ad Age’s US Media Agency of the Year (2025) and Cannes Lions Media Network of the Year (2022, 2024, 2025). Beyond her executive roles, she remains an active contributor to the industry, serving on the boards of the Advertising Research Foundation and the American Advertising Federation and serving as Jury President for major advertising festivals including Cannes Lions and Dubai Lynx.
Will Swayne, Global President, Media and Integrated Solutions, dentsu, commented, “Chrissie’s approach blends strategic and operational excellence, and visionary GTM strategy. We’re delighted to welcome her back to Carat into this critical role advancing the brand’s global positioning, accelerating our Media++ strategy, and ensuring a focus on developing media as the flywheel for both client and dentsu growth.”
As a true growth partner, dentsu’s Media++ approach is built around AI‑enabled audience intelligence, real‑time measurement and adaptive planning, in which strategy, activation and optimization are continuously connected, not sequential. Using media as the connective system between creativity, data and experience in the algorithmic era, dentsu has developed an unbroken technology spine that unlocks unrivaled growth opportunities for brands.
Chrissie Hanson, North America Media CEO and Global Brand President of Carat, adds “I’m genuinely energized to join Dentsu’s outstanding leadership team - whose clarity of vision and passion for client growth set a high bar across the industry. I believe that leading a modern agency means embracing a dual-lens perspective: championing both innovation and commercial impact, with equal conviction. Carat was where I found my voice as a strategist and leader, so returning now feels both personal and profound. I see an extraordinary opportunity for dentsu to set a new standard for collaborative, future-focused media that delivers for its people and clients.”
Beth Ann Kaminkow CEO, Americas and Chief Global Client Officer:
“While the rest of the media industry figures out how it wants to go to market, dentsu’s approach has remained consistent – provide clients with clearly differentiated agencies with specialist media expertise that can deliver alone or as part of a fully integrated media ecosystem. Chrissie’s role will be critical to bringing this to life for Carat, its clients and its people – we're lucky to have her leadership!”
Based out of dentsu’s NYC office, and starting in August (TBC), Hanson holds an LLB from Durham University, a Postgraduate Marketing & PR qualification from Manchester Metropolitan University, and an IPA Excellence Diploma.
