Jared Belsky, CEO of 360i, departs Dentsu agency

Jared Belsky, CEO of Dentsu’s 360i, is leaving the agency after nearly 13 years. In an industry marked by turnover, Belsky is a rare exception. He joined the agency in 2008 as exec VP-head of national search and steadily climbed the ranks. Belsky was named president in 2014 while still under the age of 40, and moved into his current role in April of 2018. Belsky confirmed his departure is effective in June, but declined to say where he is going. “I am getting back to my entrepreneurial roots and will share more about that soon, but for now my focus remains ensuring a great transition for clients and talent, and just being thankful for what was an incredible decade-plus ride of memories, firsts, and friendships," he said. No successor has been named for Belsky. “We are very grateful for his contributions, and know he leaves us with a strong, high-performing leadership team at 360i, which is a key part of the Dentsu Americas portfolio,” said Jacki Kelley, Dentsu Americas CEO. Belsky, whose LinkedIn bio identifies him a “digital pioneer,” was part of the original team that built 360i into a leading-edge shop at a time when the discipline was still mainly defined by banner ads and websites. Belsky, along with Sarah Hofstetter and Bryan Wiener, now president and CEO, respectively, of Profitero, drew 360i into areas like voice, artificial intelligence, ecommerce and more. Both of those executives exited in 2018. Belsky’s departure comes during a time of change for 360i, following a reorganization at parent Dentsu that consolidated 160 agencies down to six. The late 2020 revamp, which aims to create "One Dentsu" to better participate in more consolidated holding company pitches, aligns its shops into lines of business specializing in disciplines such as creative, data, consumer experience and media. Following that reorganization in February, several 360i executives were appointed to lead some of these groupings while maintaining their agency roles. Doug Rozen was elevated to CEO of Dentsu Media Americas and Abbey Klaassen added the title of president, business leadership, eastern region for Dentsu International. Menno Kluin, chief creative officer at 360i, also received a broader role as U.S. chief creative officer at Dentsu International. 360i has grown beyond its digital-only roots and last year was named North American media agency-of-record for spice company McCormick and tapped as integrated media agency for Kroger. The agency, which counts among its clients Mondelez, International 7-Eleven, Tiffany and Orkin, had estimated revenue of $153 million in 2020, down 8% from the year before, according to the Ad Age Datacenter.

Jared Belsky, CEO of 360i, departs Dentsu agency

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