Kaminkow elevated to CEO, Americas & Chief Global Client Officer, dentsu 

Steve Albany joins as first EVP, Growth & Partnerships, North America 

Christena Pyle appointed first Chief Client Experience Officer, North America 

NEW YORK (April 27, 2026)—Dentsu today announced two new North American leadership roles: Christena Pyle as Chief Client Experience Officer and Steve Albany as EVP, Growth & Partnerships. 

With the appointment of Takeshi Sano as Global President and CEO of dentsu last month, Beth Ann Kaminkow stepped into an expanded role as CEO, Americas and Chief Global Client Officer—an elevation from her role overseeing the business in North America. These leadership shifts mark an important moment as the global network looks to regain momentum in the Americas and strengthen connectivity across international teams. In her new role, Kaminkow is focused on delivering regional growth rooted in client-centricity, agility and collaboration, while furthering the agency’s distinctly dentsu offering and shaping best practices for global clients. 

“To win in the Americas, it is imperative that we have the right leaders and strengths to shape differentiated value, deliver the best client experiences and uncover whitespace opportunities for growth,” said Kaminkow. “These two new appointments will help innovate our offering and make that ambition real. Christena, who brings fresh perspective and a proven entrepreneurial mindset, will be my trusted partner in fostering a culture that puts our clients at the center of everything we do. Steve’s track record for creating value at every touchpoint makes him the perfect addition to our Growth team, led by Kyla Jeffers, as we seek to unlock new, first-mover growth partnerships and amplify our industry presence.” 

As dentsu’s first regional Chief Client Experience Officer, Christena Pyle will focus on elevating client experiences while implementing a modern approach to organic growth. She will lead the development of consistent, technology-enabled client engagement to drive impact. Since joining dentsu five years ago, Pyle has nurtured meaningful relationships across clients and industry partners, and led projects rooted in a commitment to building a better society, most recently serving as Chief of Community and Culture. She brings a deep understanding of business impact, client prowess, and an ability to create shared value for dentsu and its clients. 

“I look forward to fostering a deeper, more integrated client leadership community, powering better processes, and building connection directly with our clients to derive even more value from our relationships, on both sides,” said Pyle.  

In the newly created role of EVP, Growth & Partnerships, Steve Albany will partner closely with Kyla Jeffers, Chief Growth Officer, to accelerate dentsu’s North America growth agenda by creating new client opportunities, driving strategic partnerships that unlock growth for clients, and delivering innovative solutions across media, creative, CXM, production, data and technology. 

Albany joins dentsu from WPP Open X, where he led global creative partnerships for The Coca-Cola Company, helping the brand earn recognition including Cannes Lions 2024 Creative Brand of the Year. He brings extensive experience in business development, driving strategic growth and building high-value partnerships, alongside deep expertise in content, branded entertainment and partnerships developed through previous senior roles across The Marketing Arm, Omnicom Media Group and beyond. 

“Clients are looking for partners who can connect creativity, media, technology and partnerships to unlock new sources of growth,” said Steve Albany. “dentsu has the talent, capabilities and ambition to lead in that space, and I’m excited to help clients unlock what’s next.” 

These two appointments follow other recent shifts to the leadership team with Chrissie Hanson incoming as North America Media CEO and Global Brand President of Carat, along with Phil Gaughran’s promotion to Americas CEO of Dentsu Creative. These moves further expand the incredible talent leading dentsu and underscores the company’s commitment to driving growth and innovation across its network. As dentsu continues to build momentum, the agency recently announced the next evolution of its proprietary AI-powered intelligent operating system, dentsu.Connect, and has celebrated regional new business wins including i-Health, Farmer’s Insurance, and Waterloo.