Dentsu UK&I today announces the appointment of Mike Florence to the newly created role of Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, effective early November. Florence brings over two decades of award-winning experience in strategic planning, creative leadership, and digital innovation to dentsu’s media practice.
Reporting directly to the dentsu UK&I Media CEO, Florence will take on a pivotal role in reshaping dentsu’s media planning craft across its agency brands - Carat, iProspect, and dentsu X. His appointment marks a significant step in dentsu’s ambition to redefine media as a powerful growth engine - where technology, identity, analytics, commerce, and content converge to drive strategic advantage for clients.
“Florence is a visionary strategist whose ability to fuse cultural insight, digital fluency, and commercial acumen makes him uniquely suited to lead our planning craft into the future,” said Shenda Loughnane, Global Brand President dentsu X, and interimMedia CEO, dentsu UK&I. “His appointment marks a pivotal moment in our journey to modernise media planning and deliver greater value for our clients – and we’re thrilled to welcome him back to dentsu, where his career first began.”
Florence’s career spans globally recognised agencies, including PHD, Gravity Road, and BrandTech Group, where he has consistently pushed the boundaries of media strategy. He is a six-time Campaign Media Planner of the Year, a Cannes Lions Grand Prix winner, and a member of the prestigious Cannes Chimera. His work has shaped campaigns for some of the world’s most iconic brands, including Disney, Sony, Coca-Cola, Diageo, TikTok, and Peloton.
Most recently, he has been at the forefront of AI-powered communications, leading innovation at Gravity Road - Campaign’s Digital Innovation Agency of the Year - and sharpening his performance marketing expertise with Jellyfish on Booking.com, Google’s largest global client.
“Returning to where it all began to help build for a new era, at the most exciting time our industry has ever known, is an incredible opportunity. Media has never had more power to shape brands and culture and dentsu is ready to lead that change.” said Florence
Florence’s appointment comes at a time when dentsu is expanding the definition and scope of media. Today, media is no longer just about buying and planning - it’s the entry point to transformation. Dentsu’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.
Examples of this strategy in action include:
- iProspect’s expanded remit with BMW Group in Europe, now encompassing strategy, planning, buying, optimisation, and data & tech consultancy across BMW, Mini, and Motorrad.
- Carat’s industry-first third consecutive win of Vodafone’s EMEA media account, with a new three-year contract starting January 2026. This strategic win elevates dentsu’s role from trusted media provider to transformation partner, showcasing the impact of integrated solutions like Media Brain and Mantis, and highlighting Carat’s leadership in AI, data, and audience strategy.
Florence’s role will be central to scaling this vision - ensuring dentsu’s media planning craft is future-fit, deeply integrated, and commercially impactful.
