Unraveling the Driving Forces of Value Creation: An Interview with Gene Lin of the Dentsu Group

The Dentsu Group operates in over 145 countries and regions worldwide. This series has previously featured interviews with the CEOs of Dentsu APAC, Dentsu EMEA, and Dentsu Americas, exploring how they develop business while addressing regional challenges, alongside trends in each overseas market.

The fourth installment features an interview with Gene Lin, who has assumed the role of Group President - Global Practice at Dentsu Group Inc. We asked about the driving forces behind value creation, including Dentsu's capabilities, solutions, and talent development.

*The interview was conducted in Tokyo on December 11, 2023.

 

Jean Lin, Group President - Global Practice, Dentsu Group Inc. Joined Isobar in 2004. Held multiple executive positions at Dentsu International since 2019. Appointed Executive Officer of Dentsu Group Inc. in 2021. As Chief Culture Officer, developed "Dentsu Good," the group's business solutions and accelerator in the sustainability domain. Assumed current position in October 2023. Involved in strengthening Dentsu Inc.'s core capabilities and long-term competitiveness, talent development, building solution delivery systems, and realizing Dentsu Inc.'s vision.

Contributing to clients' sustainable growth

──First, please tell us about your current position and responsibilities.

I am Jean Lin. Since October 2023, I have served as Group President - Global Practice for Dentsu Group Inc.

My primary role in this newly created position is to consolidate Dentsu's capabilities and practices (Editor's note: the collective term for services Dentsu provides globally) to deliver the best integrated growth solutions(※) to clients and establish Dentsu's position as their integrated growth partner.

※Integrated Growth Solutions: The core of dentsu's business strategy. Contributing to client companies' top-line growth by integrating the group's diverse capabilities beyond the realm of marketing.

 

──Why is Integrated Growth Solutions needed now?

The world we face is incredibly complex. When confronting the new challenges that constantly emerge, traditional approaches may not suffice. Therefore, it is only natural that clients seek more integrated solutions to sustain their corporate growth.

Dentsu Inc. certainly recognizes this trend. For the past 120 years, Dentsu Inc. has delivered strategy at the intersection of innovation and integration. This remains unchanged in today's rapidly evolving environment. Integration is essential to providing the right solutions for all the contemporary challenges our clients face.

dentsu's Accelerator (Editor's note: Programs supporting and accelerating corporate business growth) integrates the strategic development and delivery of Integrated Growth Solutions to support clients. In essence, this is a partnership model contributing to clients' sustainable growth.

We must engage with various elements of society and value creation to play a vital role in the process of helping clients achieve their goals.

──How do Integrated Growth Solutions impact the relationship between companies and their customers?

The core of Integrated Growth Solutions lies in end-to-end experience transformation. What we offer clients is the optimal way for companies to build relationships with their customers through the highest level of customer experience, leveraging technology, data, and ideas.

And it is precisely because dentsu operates across all these domains—creative, media, customer experience management, and business transformation—that we can deliver Integrated Growth Solutions. By having each domain work in concert, we can solve our clients' challenges and define the role the brand should play within the entire experience ecosystem.

──What is crucial for advancing Integrated Growth Solutions?

First, clients must be able to easily access our capabilities. Beyond that, it's crucial to identify the client's challenges and deliver solutions that are both simple and powerful. This is also necessary to enhance the agility of problem-solving.

The diverse capabilities dentsu possesses across various domains are interconnected, creating synergistic effects.

Purpose-driven organizations boost motivation

──I understand that developing talent across the entire group is also part of your role. What is essential for boosting employee motivation?

In our industry, "people" are key. Whether we can build an outstanding organization depends on how employees are motivated and how they perceive their work.

Employees seek more than just daily tasks. They are driven by purpose—competitiveness, inspiration, high aspirations—that unites people. This is precisely why being a purpose-driven organization, motivated by that purpose, is crucial for boosting employee motivation.

──Work values also differ by generation. Looking at Generation Z, I feel they hold different perspectives and generate different ideas compared to other generations.

For younger generations like Gen Z, finding purpose in their work is a driving force behind their choice of employer and brand loyalty.

Each generation possesses its own distinct characteristics. For Generation Z, who have witnessed societal shifts like sustainability, fairness, and net-zero (Editor's note: achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions), these have become their top priorities.

Don't separate "growth" from "good"

──What role do you believe sustainability plays in corporate growth and fostering corporate culture?

Sustainability is the most critical driver of innovation in business today. When companies create strategies, products, and services that enable sustainable growth and contribute to a sustainable society, they become not only "good corporate citizens" but also brands that earn the respect of consumers. Especially today, with climate change, equality, diversity, and sustainability demands at the forefront, sustainability is indispensable for any business.

The crucial point is that "growth" and "being good" must not be considered separately. The path to corporate growth and the path to remaining a good corporate citizen must not point in different directions. Conversely, when both are aligned, a corporate culture that fosters sustainable growth will naturally develop.

A company's growth in economic performance represents only one facet of the world we live in today. Therefore, we must place sustainability at the core of our business strategy to enable not only short-term growth but also long-term growth. Addressing it solely through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or compliance efforts cannot fundamentally transform corporate culture.

──Are there any group-wide initiatives to foster corporate culture?

One example of an internal initiative is the "One Day for Change" activity. Launched in 2014, this initiative sees dentsu employees worldwide simultaneously participate in volunteer activities on April 22nd, Earth Day.

This initiative symbolizes dentsu's promise to bring about change in the world and our commitment to a sustainable society. Its significance lies in the fact that not only management, but every single employee is committed on a global scale.

──Finally, based on your extensive experience in global business, could you share what mindset is essential for global business?

There are several, but "empathy" is particularly crucial. Understanding people from different backgrounds—countries, cultures, and more—requires the ability to empathize.

Only by understanding each other's backgrounds can we build teams that transcend organizational and geographical constraints. The essence of global business, I believe, is enabling diverse people to collaborate comfortably and innovate together. Creating such a secure environment is what defines an outstanding global leader.

Global business must be driven by mutual respect. And that is also a sustainable approach.