Merkle appoints new CEOs for APAC and ANZ divisions

Dentsu International’s customer experience and data analytics consultancy Merkle has appointed new CEOs for its APAC and A/NZ geographies.

The Australian and New Zealand branch of customer engagement consultancy Merkle has shuffled its senior leadership, with 2021 A/NZ CEO appointee and former Big Four partner John Riccio taking up the top role for the Asia Pacific region.

Chief growth officer Steve Yurisich has been appointed as A/NZ CEO in Riccio’s stead after joining the firm from Accenture last year, while Paul Whittaker has been named managing director in New Zealand.

“With Merkle’s momentum building in the region, now is the time for me to step fully into the APAC CEO role,” Riccio stated in a post to LinkedIn. “It’s been an amazing 12-plus months leading the ANZ region and we’ve achieved so much, aligning the business into one truly integrated team. I’m delighted that Steve is stepping into the role of ANZ CEO. Steve has been integral in making the ANZ business stronger than ever.”

Yurisich joined Merkle in March of last year from Accenture Song, where he served for two years as A/NZ chief growth officer, before which he spent seven years as a managing director with Accenture between London and Melbourne. Prior to Accenture, Yurisich spent the previous seven years as an independent consultant for the telecommunications sector, having earlier worked as an entrepreneur and in venture capital.

“Anyone I have spent time with over the past year will know how much passion I have for the Merkle business. It’s an honour to follow the fabulous leader that is John Riccio, who has paved the way over the past twelve months to give us the platform for accelerated growth we have today. This is an exciting chapter for One Dentsu.” said Yurisich, who will be replaced as chief growth officer by former SAP and Salesforce sales director Michael Sullivan.

Other senior appointments

Across the Tasman meanwhile, Merkle Aotearoa (which rebranded from Davanti last year following its 2019 acquisition) has also undergone a transition in its senior leadership, with former CEO John Bessey stepping down after three years in the role. Taking over is dentsu operations executive director Paul Whittaker in a newly created managing director role. Whittaker has been with the company and predecessor for the past decade and a half.

Merkle’s local leadership restructuring also saw the creation of two further executive roles, with Gareth Reason appointed chief digital transformation officer and Andrea Meredith as chief experience and delivery officer. Reason joined the firm in 2009 following earlier career stints at Hewlett-Packard, Ernst & Young and Accenture, while Meredith has spent close to a decade at Merkle/Davanti across multiple stints, most recently joining again in 2019.

“I am excited to have Paul, Andrea and Gareth step up into these roles,” Riccio said. “Having these three long-term senior leaders join the A/NZ leadership team brings closer the Australia and New Zealand businesses and further sets us up to offer truly integrated capabilities and deliver amazing results for clients, helping set us up for our strongest year of growth yet. It’s a really exciting time for Merkle Aotearoa and the Merkle business in APAC.”