dentsu Aotearoa has announced the establishment of a dedicated Technology & AI enablement capability strengthening how they help clients harness emerging technologies through modern, connected marketing solutions.

As part of the investment, dentsu has appointed Liz Knox as Group Executive Director, Technology and Operations, while Jon Devereux has been internally promoted to Data, Platforms & Technology Director. Knox joins the Aotearoa Executive Leadership Team with more than 20 years' experience across agency operations, transformation, technology and integrated production, most recently as Chief Operations Officer at DDB Group/McCann.

Knox started in the role on July 14 sharing that her decision to join was driven by “dentsu’s clear ambition around innovation, integration and delivering modern marketing solutions that create real impact for clients. The intersection of creativity, customer experience and emerging technology is where my expertise and passion lie. Helping to apply this in practical ways to support clients’ evolving needs will enable innovation, operational excellence and stronger commercial outcomes across dentsu group and their client base.” Devereux, an internal promotion, brings extensive experience across digital media and a deep technical understanding of how AI and machine learning drive better performance outcomes.

Devereux’s expertise spans how media is bought, how platforms work, and how emerging technology can be applied to make both smarter. Of his appointment he says "it's an exciting time in media, AI capabilities are allowing us to build bespoke products for clients at speed, supercharging productivity in a way that was previously not possible."

Together they will lead dentsu Aotearoa’s roadmap supporting clients in the adoption of AI and emerging technologies. They will integrate with the existing dentsu Digital Experience and Digital Media teams who have built and support digital and tech solutions for some of New Zealand’s most recognisable brands. The new team forms part of dentsu ANZ's existing Technology, Data and AI strategy, led by Chief Data and Technology Officer ANZ, Danica Bellchambers, and is designed to accelerate the integration of AI, data and technology across the agency's creative, media and customer experience offering.

Rachel Anderson-McCormack, Group Managing Director NZ said this investment reflects the rapidly changing needs of dentsu’s client base: "The best marketing has always been built on human insight, strategy and creativity. What is changing is the technology available to make it smarter, faster and more effective. This unit is our commitment to ensuring our clients have access to both, world-class human thinking, powered by the best technology and AI available. Liz and Jon give us the leadership to deliver that at scale."