Dentsu X CEO Leah Meranus Exits

The North America CEO of media agency dentsu X, Leah Meranus, has left the company, ADWEEK has learned. 

Meranus was appointed to the role in January of 2023, promoted from her previous post as U.S. chief media officer at dentsu X. She was tasked with establishing deeper industry partnerships and growing the dentsu-owned agency’s business. 

She informed some colleagues she was leaving the company last week, according to a source with a high level of knowledge of dentsu’s movements. 

The agency confirmed the news in a statement shared with ADWEEK, writing: “We thank Leah for her contributions and leadership during her time with dentsu X North America and wish her much personal success.”

Chief media officer Bruce Williams has replaced Meranus in an interim capacity, overseeing dentsu X North America “to ensure stability, continuity, and growth during this transition,” the company said. He is reporting into Will Swayne, dentsu’s global practice president for media and U.S. media lead. 

Meranus has spent two decades in the ad industry, and has held leadership positions at agencies including 360i, Initiative, Mediacom, and PHD.

Her departure comes less than three months after the exit of dentsu Americas Media CEO Sean Reardon, who helmed the practice for two and a half years. Dentsu X, iProspect, and Carat are the core agencies under the dentsu Americas Media umbrella.