PLANAT

Leadership Shakeup: New CEOs at Dentsu and Plan.Net

The agency networks Dentsu and Serviceplan's Plan.Net announced leadership changes. Katja Anette Brandt will become CEO of Dentsu Germany on September 1, 2025, and will also serve as Media Practice Lead for Central Europe, reporting to Sławomir Stępniewski, CEO of Dentsu Central Europe, and joining the Central Europe executive team. Brandt has previously held roles at Dentsu, including CEO of Vizeum, with prior leadership positions at Publicis Media and Mindshare DACH, accumulating over three decades of industry experience. In parallel, Christian Schmitz was named CEO of Plan.Net Group in July 2025, adding the role to his existing duties as CEO of The Marcom Engine; both positions will run in parallel, and he has been elevated to the Serviceplan Group board. Plan.Net emphasizes End-to-End models and AI, aiming to unify consulting, experience and technology under one roof, while Dentsu reorganizes market responsibility at the Central Europe level.

Jens-Christian Jensen Joins Plan.Net as Chief Strategy Officer

Plan.Net Group announced that Jens-Christian Jensen will join as Chief Strategy & Sales Officer, effective January 1, 2024. In this role, Jensen will lead and internationalize the agency group's sales activities, shift toward a more partner-oriented approach, and drive a more integrated go-to-market strategy. He arrives from Digitas Pixelpark, where he served as CSO for 16 years. CEO Wolf Ingomar Faecks states the appointment will strengthen sales in three areas: internationally, with technology partners, and in outbound activities. Jensen’s responsibilities include strategic direction and development of Plan.Net’s portfolio, as well as agency-wide sales development and governance, with the aim of offering clients a holistic system that combines partners and providers. Jensen expressed enthusiasm about Plan.Net’s potential to fuse brand, communication, and business with a digital DNA to enable ecosystem-driven growth.

Plan.Net Expands Global Workforce to Meet Rising Demand

Plan.Net is pursuing a growth push by expanding its nearshore and offshore staffing through a new unit, Plan.Net Technest. The agency group aims to accelerate the development of technically skilled personnel abroad, launching offices in Mumbai, Bangalore, Trivandrum, Gurugram, Timisoara and Warsaw, and will rebrand existing sites in Poland and Romania. The unit currently employs about 500 people, with a target to double headcount within two years, effectively doubling Plan.Net’s overall workforce. Florian Haller, CEO of the Serviceplan Group, notes rising client demand for digital-experience and technology services while acknowledging a worsening talent shortage. Gerd Güldenast, appointed CTO of Plan.Net Group in January, adds that there is strong need for technology service offerings among both existing customers and new business. Planned service coverage includes content management, maintenance, hosting, web and app development, business support, CRM, SEO, social media, e-commerce, project management, QA and test management, delivered by internal service teams across the Serviceplan Group.