Stagwell to open London office and names Emea CEO

Townsend will take on his new role from 1st January 2024 and was previously based in New York as global chief executive officer at Assembly, and also oversaw the launch of Stagwell’s brand performance network.

Rick Acampora, currently chief operating officer, will replace Townsend and take over as global chief executive officer at Assembly, effective immediately.

Stagwell’s London office will open in late January 2024 and is based at the Blue Fin Building on the South Bank.

The office will serve as a hub for more than 750 of the 1,900 Stagwell employees in the region.

Mark Penn, chairman and chief executive at Stagwell, said: “We’ve taken steps over the past few years to expand and grow our operation across Emea, and we’re pleased to accelerate our investment in the region with James Townsend at the helm.

“From the start, JT has been an invaluable network leader, overseeing the combination of ForwardPMX into Assembly, and then the launch and market success of our brand performance network, which has more than doubled under his leadership.”