Ex-Ikon Communications CEO Dan Johns joins IPG Mediabrands as group commercial director

The former CEO of Ikon Communications, Dan Johns (left), is joining IPG Mediabrands Australia as group commercial director. He will report to IPG Mediabrands executive chairman Henry Tajer (right) and will join the IPG Mediabrands Australia board of directors.

Johns departed his leadership role at Ikon in March this year after 10 years at the agency, where he had been CEO since September 2011.

Says Tajer: “We are thrilled to have Dan join the IPG Mediabrands family. Dan’s experience and perspective on our marketplace will accelerate IPG Mediabrands’ abilities to leverage the opportunities we see coming to the communications sector. It will allow us to move faster and develop more future-proof solutions for our client base as well as for our own business.”

Johns’ primary roles as group commercial director will be to work closely with Tajer and the business unit leaders in IPG Mediabrands Australia to expand capabilities, new business, new products and the inter-discipline collaboration between the 10 businesses that make up the group.

Says Johns: “It is rare to have the opportunity to step back and take a truly objective perspective of our industry. In doing so, it was clear to me that IPG Mediabrands is not only the agency group with the most momentum, but the group with the clearest and most progressive view of the future. Importantly, the IPG Mediabrands’ vision is backed by a structure that allows for swift decisions and investments into emerging areas and a talented, supportive and aligned leadership team that make things happen.

“It’s with a great deal of excitement that I take on the role of group commercial director to help further expedite development of new products, brands and services while encouraging even greater collaboration between the businesses within the IPG Mediabrands group,” he added.

Johns joins IPG Mediabrands on August 1st.