Dentsu Inc. President Ishii's New Year's Address "Now is the greatest opportunity for transformation."

Dentsu Inc. held its 2014 New Year's Work Commencement Ceremony starting at 9:50 AM on January 6th at its Tokyo headquarters and other locations. The Tokyo headquarters ceremony took place in the Dentsu Hall at the Shiodome headquarters building, where President Ishii delivered his New Year's address. The gist is as follows.

The biggest topic for the Dentsu Group in 2013 was the completion of the Aegis Group acquisition. Within "Dentsu Aegis Network," established on March 26 last year to oversee the overseas business division, its subsidiaries Aegis Media and Dentsu Network have provided services to clients as independent networks while deepening their collaboration. Looking back, we feel confident that it has been a smooth start.

The decision to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games was also tremendously wonderful news, bringing hope and vitality to Japan as we look ahead to the summer six years from now. For the Dentsu Group, too, I believe this will be a tremendous source of strength as we continue our steps toward the future.

As mentioned in our new mid-term management plan "Dentsu 2017 and Beyond," announced last May, Japan represents the largest share of the Group's gross profit as a single market, while also possessing the most robust client and business foundations. Japan has always been the most important market for the Dentsu Group, but the addition of the major milestone of 2020 has made its growth opportunities and potential even more compelling.

We stand at a critical juncture that will determine whether we can continue to shine powerfully into the future. Now is the greatest opportunity for transformation, and we must seize this moment to fully realize the transformation of the Dentsu Group.

This year, 2014, will see the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, in February, and the FIFA World Cup in Brazil in June. In Japan, the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will serve as a trigger, sparking new movements and vitality across various fields as we move toward 2020.

If we return to the fundamental purpose of the Dentsu Group, I believe it boils down to one thing: solving problems. When difficult challenges are overcome, new vitality and hope are born.

I, too, will continue to look toward the future, confront head-on the challenges I must tackle, strive to achieve evolution beyond what our predecessors accomplished, and dedicate myself to propelling the Dentsu Group to a new dimension.