Wieden+Kennedy announces new leadership hire

Independent agency Wieden+Kennedy announced today that industry veteran Yosuke Suzuki has joined the agency’s Tokyo office as managing director, effective immediately.

Yosuke comes to W+K from R/GA Tokyo, where he helped establish a formidable presence for the shop in the region as executive strategy director before being promoted to managing director in 2018. Under his leadership over the past four years, R/GA built a sizable business in Japan, bringing on new clients including Shiseido, Suntory, and various Japanese brands in the entertainment, robotics, service platform and finance sectors. 

Suzuki commented, “It's a really exciting time to join Wieden+Kennedy. The roster of clients and the recent work over the last year has been impressive. At a time when Japanese brands are looking for thinking and partners who go beyond the status quo, W+K Tokyo feels future ready. I look forward to building on that momentum and fostering new relationships.”

At W+K, he will lead the office alongside executive creative director and W+K creative veteran Scott Dungate, who has been at the helm in Tokyo since 2019. W+K Tokyo’s roster of client partners includes local Japanese brands (Oronine, Beautiful People, Body Mainté), global brands (Nike, IKEA, Audi) and a growing number of Korean based brands (Netflix, Harlan+Holden, AB Inbev). This year the office, made up of local and international talent, celebrated its 22nd anniversary. 

Dungate commented, “The experience Yosuke brings from a strategic, business, client-side, international and Japanese perspective is rare, and something we think will continue W+K Tokyo moving to interesting places. Add to this Yosuke’s humble but confident character, and we couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds.”   

Yosuke’s professional experience on both the agency and brand side of business has taken him across three continents, having served in various roles and projects in Japan, the US, the UK, and Southeast Asia. Before founding R/GA Tokyo, he held senior strategy positions with Dentsu, Naked Communications, Dentsu, and DDB, leading local and regional planning for multinational automotive, beverage and FMCG clients, as well as producing exhibitions and music events including the MTV Video Music Awards Japan. Early in his career, he ran the AXE account at BBH Tokyo, where he first learned the art of balancing strategy and creative, as well as the importance of talent development and culture. 

He also worked at The Coca-Cola (Japan) Company where he was responsible for leading strategy and creative development for the sparkling drinks category.

Yosuke takes over from W+K Tokyo’s current managing director, Ryan Fisher, who will be returning home to W+K’s London office as the head of growth. 

Colleen DeCourcy, W+K Global President and CCO commented, "As more international agencies look to set up shop in Japan (we are celebrating our 22nd anniversary this year), W+K Tokyo is already set up as a secret weapon in the market—independent, global, and creatively led—and the work we have been doing is fresh and interesting. Yosuke and Scott coming together, leading this globally diverse office full of exceptional talent, is going to propel us to new exciting places."