Sam Nehme Joins dentsu as SVP Commerce Solutions

Sam Nehme has joined dentsu as Senior Vice President, Commerce Solutions, bringing extensive experience in commerce strategy, retail media, performance marketing and commercial leadership.

Sam joins dentsu after nearly two years at Flywheel, where he progressed from Senior Director, Global Commerce Lead, to Vice President of Commerce. In his most recent role, he led a 45-person multinational organisation, overseeing commerce strategy, profit and loss performance, and client partnerships across a portfolio of enterprise brands.

His appointment comes as commerce continues to converge with digital media, retail media networks and performance marketing. Brands are increasingly looking for strategies that connect marketing investment with measurable commercial outcomes across the customer journey.

Sam's experience building operating models, leading cross-functional teams and aligning commerce activity with broader business objectives provides a foundation for his new role at dentsu.

Building on commerce leadership at Flywheel

During his tenure at Flywheel, Sam held leadership positions spanning global commerce strategy and regional business performance.

As Senior Director, Global Commerce Lead, he led commerce strategy for enterprise brands, connecting retail media and performance marketing with broader business objectives. His work included developing operating models, governance frameworks and cross-functional processes to strengthen alignment, accountability and execution across markets.

He subsequently became Vice President of Commerce, where his remit expanded to include leadership of a 45-person multinational organisation, P&L performance and client partnerships.

This progression reflects a career that combines strategic planning with the organisational and commercial responsibilities involved in delivering commerce programmes at scale.

His experience is particularly relevant as brands seek to coordinate retail media, e-commerce and performance marketing rather than manage them as disconnected channels.

Advancing retail media and commercial partnerships

Before Flywheel, Sam served as Executive Director and Retail Practice Lead at Beauty Co-Lab, where he worked on retail media partnerships and commercial agreements across L'Oréal's US divisions.

His responsibilities included developing retail media strategy frameworks, assessing organisational maturity and delivering training for more than 50 professionals. The work focused on strengthening internal capabilities and improving collaboration between brand marketing and commerce teams.

This experience gave Sam a perspective on the organisational changes required to make retail media programmes effective. Beyond campaign execution, brands need clear commercial agreements, consistent measurement approaches and collaboration between marketing, sales and retail partners.

As retail media continues to develop, these capabilities are increasingly important to brands looking to improve the relationship between media investment, product discovery and sales performance.

A 12-year career spanning GroupM agencies

Sam spent more than 12 years at GroupM, holding senior roles across performance marketing, digital strategy, search, social and direct-to-consumer commerce.

At EssenceMediacom, he served as Senior Partner and North America Performance Lead for Coca-Cola and Mars. His work included establishing a Digital Performance Hub for Coca-Cola to improve efficiency, team structures and campaign execution. He also managed complex client transitions involving Mars, Colgate and Tyson, coordinating personnel, campaign management and financial adjustments.

Earlier, at Wavemaker, Sam led direct-to-consumer and commerce strategy for L'Oréal. He worked across the company's Consumer Products and Luxe divisions, aligning brand-building with transactional activity across direct and retail channels. His work included using search marketing to support growth and improve return on advertising spend.

He also held digital leadership roles on Altice, IKEA and Campbell's, covering areas such as paid search, social media, e-commerce, subscription growth and integrated media strategy.

Across these positions, Sam developed experience in both the performance and commercial dimensions of marketing. His responsibilities included leading teams, improving operational processes, aligning media activity with business goals and developing approaches to campaign measurement and execution.

Connecting commerce strategy with business outcomes

Commerce has become a more integrated part of the marketing landscape, bringing together retail media, e-commerce, consumer insights, digital advertising and sales performance.

For enterprise brands, the challenge is to ensure these activities work towards shared business objectives. That requires more than channel-level optimisation. It calls for coordinated planning, effective partnerships, consistent measurement and operating models that can work across teams and markets.

Sam's experience across agency leadership, retail media and commerce operations aligns with this broader shift. His background spans hands-on digital marketing, performance strategy, enterprise client relationships and leadership of a multinational commerce organisation.

At dentsu, his new role places that experience within a global marketing and communications network serving clients across industries and markets.

Looking ahead at dentsu

Sam's appointment marks the next stage in a career built around the intersection of media, commerce and commercial performance.

From his early work in search marketing to senior roles at GroupM and Flywheel, his experience has evolved alongside changes in how brands reach consumers and convert engagement into business results.

As organisations continue to invest in retail media and connected commerce strategies, leadership that brings together marketing expertise, operational discipline and commercial accountability will remain important.

At dentsu, Sam will bring this combination of experience to his role as SVP Commerce Solutions, contributing to the company's work at the intersection of marketing, media and commerce.

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About dentsu

dentsu is a global marketing and communications network that provides services across media, creative, customer experience and related marketing disciplines. The company works with brands to develop integrated marketing strategies, connect with audiences and support business growth across markets.

Source: Sam Nehme's LinkedIn announcement