New York – September 29, 2026 -- Brand experience studio DE-YAN has appointed Jonathan Akwue as its first President, hiring the former Translation chief and ex-Publicis Groupe executive as the firm builds on a year of double-digit headcount growth and an industry-first ROI certification.
Akwue arrives from Translation after more than 25 years across network agencies
Akwue previously served as President and Global Media Lead at Publicis Groupe, with earlier stints at Digitas UK and Lost Boys. Based in New York, he will work alongside founder and CEO Dejan Jovanovic to deepen client relationships and expand the studio's scope. He is the second senior network-agency executive to join DE-YAN in under two years, following Chief Creative Officer Jason Kreher, who arrived from Wieden+Kennedy and Maximum Effort in 2025.
DE-YAN earned the first-ever MASB certification for experiential ROI in May 2026
The Marketing Accountability Standards Board added DE-YAN's Experiential Revenue Impact Calculator (ERIC) to its Marketing Metric Catalog, making it the first tool of its kind to receive the designation. An independent study commissioned with market intelligence firm Avasta found 89% of event attendees cited the experience as the primary driver of a purchase, while high-quality live activations lifted performance across other marketing channels by an average of 47%.
Headcount grew 75% in 2025 to surpass 160 employees
DE-YAN plans to exceed 200 staff in 2027 as it expands service offerings across strategy, design, creative technology and production. In July 2026, Ad Age named the studio Experiential Agency of the Year (Gold) at its Small Agency Awards.
Meta's AI glasses retail stores drew 13,000 visitors in ten days
DE-YAN led retail strategy and launch for Meta's first permanent AI glasses stores in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, which posted a 95 customer satisfaction score. The studio also contributed LED visuals, broadcast opening sequence and post-production for the FIFA World Cup Halftime Show, featuring Madonna, Shakira, BTS, Justin Bieber and Coldplay.
PUMA's global kit launch skipped the stadium reveal for a Brooklyn block party
For "Rolling Nations,