Stagwell has announced the appointment of Liz Rutgersson as Chief Executive Officer of Assembly with a global and North America remit. Additionally, the network announced that Connie Chan will take on the role of CEO of Assembly APAC while continuing as Chief Growth Officer of Stagwell APAC.
Rutgersson brings more than 20 years of marketing experience spanning brand building and strategy, digital media, analytics and search optimization. She has partnered with leading global brands including Hilton, eBay, Salesforce, Ferrero, Dollar General and Tesco.
Rutgersson joins Assembly after 16 years at dentsu, most recently serving as CEO of iProspect North America for the past three years. She will report to Slavi Samardzija, Global Chair of Media & Commerce at Stagwell.
Chan brings three decades of experience across media, marketing, and business leadership. Since taking on the Chief Growth Officer role, she has helped expand Stagwell’s presence across key APAC markets, driving new business growth, strengthening regional client partnerships, and advancing capabilities across media and digital experience, the agency said.
“Liz and Connie are exceptional leaders with a proven track record of driving growth for advertisers, building high-performing teams and helping clients succeed in a rapidly changing media ecosystem,” said Slavi Samardzija, Global Chair of Media & Commerce, Stagwell.
“Their appointments strengthen Assembly’s leadership for what comes next and reinforce our commitment to creating a more modern, agile agency that delivers meaningful business outcomes for clients around the world.”
“I’ve spent my career believing that the best agencies don’t just respond to change, they help define what comes next,” added Rutgersson.
“For too long, our industry has been shaped by legacy structures that don’t always reflect what drives the best outcomes for clients. Assembly has a foundation of incredible talent, global scale and connected capabilities, and I’m energized by the opportunity to build on strengths and push them further — building around the needs of our clients’ businesses, with their performance as the clearest measure of our own success and client growth as our organizing principle.”
Connie Chan told Branding in Asia that her appointment comes as Assembly looks to build on its growth and expanding capabilities across the APAC region:
“Assembly is entering an exciting new chapter of growth. We have exceptional talent, an expanding regional footprint, and increasingly differentiated capabilities across media, commerce, data and technology. Combined with the scale and strength of the Stagwell network, we’re well positioned to help clients unlock new opportunities for growth while creating lasting value alongside our clients and partners across APAC.”
Rutgersson succeeds Rick Acampora, former Global CEO of Assembly, who moved into a new role at the holding company focused on developing new commercial frameworks earlier in the year. Jill Kelly, former CEO of Assembly North America, will support the leadership transition to ensure continuity for clients, teams and partners.
The appointments come amid a period of expansion for Stagwell globally and across Asia-Pacific. The network recently launched The Media Machine and Stagwell Search+, opened a new APAC headquarters in Singapore, and integrated Assembly and ADK GLOBAL across the region.
