Dentsu’s Takeshi Sano notched his first major industry appearance as Global CEO on the Cannes Lions main stage Tuesday in an interview with CNBC’s Julia Boorstin.  

Dentsu’s major challenges, he said, are similar to the broader industry, including the pace of change, complexity, and competitive differentiation. 

Dentsu, he said, tries to remain agile in the face of constant change and hassought to simplify its business to make it more accessible to clients globally. 

Client stickiness hasn’t been a problem in Japan where many clients have been doing business with the firm for more than 100 years. In part Sano attributes the firm's ability to sustain such long-term relationships via a culture focused on “client centricity.” 

Boorstin noted that such relationships aren’tcommon outside of Japan and wondered if one of Dentsu’s goals was generate “century clients” outside of the country. “Hopefully,” Sano responded. “If we focus on client results, we can achieve long-term relationships.” 

Asked how he is thinking about AI and innovation, Sano technology expands possibilities. The challenge for companies and talent is selecting and applying the right possibilities to optimalbenefit. 

“AI can’t define the future, or identify issues or goals,” he said. Those areas will remain for humans to grapple with.