Assembly vs Smartly

Liz Rutgersson Named CEO of Stagwell's Assembly

Stagwell-owned agency Assembly has appointed Liz Rutgersson as its new CEO, with a global and North American remit. Rutgersson, who previously served as CEO of Dentsu's iProspect, will start in the role on Monday. She is tasked with driving growth, bolstering client partnerships, and building long-lasting relationships. Assembly also announced that Connie Chan has been named CEO of Assembly in the APAC region. Rutgersson's preliminary conversations with CEO Mark Penn and Stagwell leadership indicate alignment on making Assembly an 'agency for the future.' Rutgersson told ADWEEK she chose Assembly because of its nimbleness combined with the scale offered by Stagwell.

• Liz Rutgersson named CEO of Assembly, effective Monday.
• Rutgersson previously was CEO at Dentsu's iProspect.
• Connie Chan appointed CEO of Assembly in APAC.

Assembly Global CCO Urges Agencies to Embrace Integration, Rethink Commercial Model

Aruna Natarajan, Chief Client Officer for North America at Assembly Global, discusses the need for agencies to treat themselves like brands and adopt integrated organizational structures. She argues that the commercial model tied to media spend must evolve, and that agencies should focus on connecting paid, owned, and earned media. On AI, Natarajan emphasizes distinguishing labor from craft to build agentic workflows that automate routine tasks while elevating human creativity. She also advises that future leaders should possess curiosity, a bias for action, and the ability to connect dots across the funnel. Natarajan is a juror at The Drum Awards Festival.

• Aruna Natarajan is Chief Client Officer for North America at Assembly Global.
• She is a juror in the agency business category at The Drum Awards Festival.
• She advocates for integration over specialization in agency organizational structures.

TIMBALAND TO HEADLINE SMARTLY’S ADVANCE IN NEW YORK CITY ON SEPTEMBER 29

Smartly announces that Timbaland will headline its ADVANCE event in New York City on September 29.

Timbaland to Headline Smartly’s Advance in New York City on September 29

September 2, 2026 ### TIMBALAND TO HEADLINE SMARTLY’S ADVANCE IN NEW YORK CITY ON SEPTEMBER 29

Smartly ADVANCE Returns to New York Sept. 29

Smartly announced that its flagship conference ADVANCE will return to New York City on September 29, 2026, at Spring Studios, convening more than 750 senior marketing, agency and technology leaders. The agenda will include speakers from across the marketing ecosystem — including Accenture Song, DoorDash, Google, Meta, NBCUniversal, The New York Times, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, WPP and YouTube — and opening remarks from Smartly CEO Laura Desmond. The event features two tracks, Creative AI and Commerce AI, and partners such as Google, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Roku, Snapchat and TikTok. NBA Champion Josh Hart and Matthew Hillman (CEO, PATH Talent) will appear in a closing conversation. Registration is open and qualified attendees may be eligible for complimentary admission.

• Smartly's ADVANCE conference returns to New York City on September 29, 2026 at Spring Studios.
• The event will convene more than 750 senior marketing and advertising leaders from brands, agencies and technology platforms.
• Agenda features leaders from Accenture Song, DoorDash, Google, Horizon Media, Meta, NBCUniversal, The New York Times, Pinterest, Reddit, TikTok, WPP, Wpromote and YouTube.