Stagwell names new CEO for Assembly agency globally and in APAC

Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) has appointed Liz Rutgersson as Chief Executive Officer of Assembly, with a global and North America remit, effective September 14, 2026, according to a company statement.

Rutgersson joins Assembly after 16 years at dentsu, where she most recently served as CEO of iProspect North America for three years. She brings more than 20 years of experience in brand strategy, digital media, analytics, and search optimization. Her clients have included Hilton, eBay, Salesforce, Ferrero, Dollar General, and Tesco.

Connie Chan has been elevated to CEO of Assembly APAC while retaining her role as Chief Growth Officer of Stagwell APAC, also effective immediately.

Both appointments report to Slavi Samardzija, Global Chair of Media & Commerce at Stagwell.

Rutgersson succeeds Rick Acampora, who moved into a role at Stagwell's holding company earlier in the year focused on developing new commercial frameworks. Jill Kelly, former CEO of Assembly North America, will support the leadership transition.

Samardzija said the two appointments "strengthen Assembly's leadership for what comes next and reinforce our commitment to creating a more modern, agile agency."

The leadership changes come alongside several recent moves by Stagwell, including the launches of products called The Media Machine and Stagwell Search+, the opening of an APAC headquarters in Singapore, and the integration of Assembly with ADK Global.

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