Dentsu's Takeshi Sano: ‘We're Helping Brands Build Intelligence They Own’

In his maiden year as president and global CEO, for Dentsu and CEO of Dentsu Japan, Takeshi Sano takes on the role during a volatile period for the ad sector. Indeed, he only stepped up from his position as deputy global chief operating officer in March.

Speaking ahead of this year's Cannes Lions, he outlines his view on the significance of AI within an integrated strategy, the growing role of agentic AI and automation, and how he operates during ongoing global uncertainty.

He also shares the profession he'd most likely have pursued had he not entered the world of business and advertising too.

Creative Salon: What would you say has been the most significant shift for marketers in the last 12 months? 

Takeshi Sano: What marketers want is clear: they are looking for growth, and for partners who can help unlock it across the full complexity of their business. 

This moment is less about whether AI changes our industry, because of course it does, and more about which companies can turn that change into client value. The partners that will matter are the ones who can bring AI, data, creativity and media together in a way that is integrated, commercially relevant and accountable to outcomes. That is a very different proposition from simply making ads or delivering execution. 

When I talk to marketers, I hear them asking for more. More integration, more business understanding, more agility, more impact. The opportunity is to rise to that and become true growth and transformation partners. 

How are you preparing and supporting clients around the impact of agentic AI? 

Creativity is the part of our business that AI cannot commoditise, and that is shaping how we prepare clients for an agentic world. 

We have always believed that as AI becomes a utility, the people applying it become the difference. A good idea does not fall in price as the technology spreads, so our job is to protect that value, not to hand it to a machine. 

Agentic AI raises a harder question underneath. Agents will increasingly act for a brand across platforms and ecosystems, and a client's understanding of itself, its customers and its creative identity can end up absorbed into systems they do not control. That is how brands start to look and sound like one another. 

We are helping clients build intelligence they own. It stays with them, it stays governed, and it moves with them between platforms and partners. We are not interested in locking clients in, because we are confident we will be the partner clients choose to stay with. 

Ownership is what keeps a brand distinctive while everything around it automates. For a creative business, that is the whole point. 

We are also helping clients use AI to increase the speed, precision and effectiveness of their marketing. By automating standardised tasks and enabling faster decision-making, AI creates more space for the things only people can do: defining strategy, exercising judgment, understanding human needs and creating ideas that move people. That combination of machine efficiency and human ingenuity is what will drive the next stage of marketing transformation. 

How do you prepare to lead when geopolitically things are crazy from one week to the next? 

In periods of geopolitical volatility, the most important thing is to lead with clarity, speed and discipline. We cannot control the environment, but we can build an organisation that is better prepared to interpret change quickly, make decisions with confidence and move in ways that help clients stay ahead of it. 

For us, that starts with reducing complexity. We have been very focused on simplifying the organisation, clarifying decision rights and giving leaders close to clients more direct accountability. When conditions shift rapidly, clients do not need more process from their partners. They need perspective, responsiveness and the ability to turn uncertainty into action. If we are going to help clients grow through that volatility, we have to be set up to move at the pace they need. 

There is a deeper foundation to that readiness, and it comes from Dentsu's history in Japan. For 125 years, the company has built its reputation on deep client relationships, long-term trust and collaborative innovation. Those are enduring strengths, but they have often been felt more than broadcast. We have historically been better at doing than at telling. Part of the work now is to bring that story forward more confidently, and to show what 125 years of innovation looks like in practice and why that legacy matters for clients navigating change today. 

Readiness is also about mindset. We use every tool available, including AI, to synthesise information, sharpen our thinking and prepare for client conversations in a more informed and proactive way. The goal is not simply to react faster. It is to anticipate what clients need next, help them navigate complexity with confidence, and to create the conditions for growth even in uncertain times. 

What are you most looking forward to in the coming months and why is it important? 

I am really looking forward to putting our agentic AI solutions to work for clients at scale. We have spent plenty of time as an industry talking about the technology. What matters now is how it helps our people and our clients move faster, focus on higher-value work, and create more impact with the time it gives back. 

If some of the routine work is handled by agents, the real question is how that time gets used. My answer is that it should go to the things machines cannot do: fresh ideas, sharper judgement, creating ideas and experiences that surprise,  delight, and genuinely resonate with people. It’s about taking the time to sit with a client to truly understand their brand and the people it serves, and to help guide the strategic decisions that will shape their future. That is the work I want our talent freed up for, because it is the work that moves a business.

The technology can make things easier, but the harder and more valuable part is what we and our clients choose to do with the room it creates. 

What one question would you ask your peer CEOs right now? 

AI and technology are creating a generational shift in talent trends. As students leave school today, they are asking what skills they will need when they finish their education, what do entry-level jobs look like in our industry; if everything is done by an agentic AI system, what is left for them? 

The pace of change is leaving educational institutions reeling, and in some cases, the value of tertiary education is even being questions. 

So my question to my peers is, how could we work together as a global industry and as large employers to help shape what the next generation of colleagues will experience?   

What would you like to have been if you weren’t doing this job? 

If I weren’t doing this job, I think I would have been an architect. 

I’ve always been fascinated by architecture because it sits at the intersection of art, design, engineering, and technology. Great architecture combines creativity with precision, balancing imagination with practical constraints to create something that is both functional and inspiring. 

What I find especially compelling is that architecture shapes how people experience the world. Buildings and spaces influence how we interact, work, learn, and live, often in ways we don’t consciously notice. The best designs create experiences that feel intuitive, meaningful, and enduring. 

Looking back, I think that’s what attracted me to architecture in the first place: the opportunity to combine imagination with problem-solving and to create something that has a lasting impact on people.