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Dentsu UK & Ireland has promoted Anne Stagg to be the first UK chief executive of Merkle, its customer experience agency, as well as chief executive of its customer experience management line of business.

Stagg, who was previously EMEA vice-president, client services at Merkle, joined Dentsu last year from customer engagement agency Indicia, where she spent five years and was latterly managing director and chief client officer of its parent company KMMS.

In her dual roles at Dentsu, she will lead a business of 940 at Merkle, while also overseeing Dentsu’s CXM line of business across 10 locations in the UK and Ireland. CXM includes data and analytics, customer relationship management and digital experiences services. 

Stagg's remit will be to ensure that Dentsu’s data and digital transformation capabilities are combined. She will report to Margaret Wagner, incoming president of Merkle and chief executive of Dentsu’s CXM Line of Business in EMEA, and Dentsu UK & Ireland chief executive Euan Jarvie.

Since joining Dentsu last year, Stagg is credited with creating an integrated client services team across the company’s media, analytics, customer experience and technology service lines.

Jarvie said: “Even prior to the pandemic, consumers were understandably expecting top-tier online experiences across a growing range of touchpoints with brands, and that has only grown as we navigate Covid-19.

"Anne's appointment is timely, as we further integrate our data and digital capabilities to augment what we can offer clients, in line with their customers' evolving needs. She brings the perfect experience to truly establish our CXM proposition as a market leader.”

Performance and data CRM agency Merkle has made several senior management changes this year after Dentsu accelerated its buyout of the agency earlier this year.

Craig Dempster, its former Americas president, was announced as global chief executive in April, replacing its CEO of 32 years' standing, David Williams. Wagner, formerly EMEA chief growth officer was promoted last month, as was former Merkle EMEA president Michael Komasinski who succeeded Dempster.