Townsend, Acampora

Stagwell media agency Assembly has named Rick Acampora global CEO, succeeding James Townsend who has been named CEO of Stagwell EMEA (Europe Middle East & Africa). 

Acampora was previously Assembly chief operating officer. He joined Stagwell in 2021 and previously held senior roles at GroupM, Wavemaker, UM and Publicis Groupe.  

Townsend, who is returning to the UK after five years in New York, will continue to oversee Stagwell’s Brand Performance Network, which includes agencies Crispin Porter Bogusky, Forsman & Bodenfors, Observatory, Gale and Vitro.  

EMEA represents a small but growing business for which the company has high growth expectations. The firm said it has an ambitious M&A plan slated for the region. Third-quarter earnings numbers show that 79.3% of the firm's overall net revenue was attributable to the U.S., while 7.9% came from the UK with all other regions accounting for 12.8%. Currently EMEA accounts for about 30% of the company’s business outside the U.S.  

"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 Townsend leading the way, said Stagwell CEO Mark Penn.   

Townsend’s new assignment, effective in January, coincides with the opening of a new global hub in London that will house more than 750 of the 1,900 employees in the EMEA region and where 16 of the firm’s agencies operate.   

"After five extraordinary years in New York, I look forward to returning to London and supporting Stagwell's EMEA expansion,” said Townsend. “Throughout the region, we see that clients are seeking strategic partners to support their transformation and growth agendas.”  

Townsend credited Acampora with leading innovation for Assembly’s organizational design and its tech stack, as well as leading new business wins such as Lenovo, T. Rowe Price, Brooks Running, Estée Lauder Companies and Mandarin Oriental.