Isobar Public Sector names former EY executive as president
Isobar Public Sector – a digital transformation agency dedicated to government bodies and a Dentsu subsidiary – has named Larry Gillespie, II, former EY executive director for digital and customer strategy advisory services, as its president and board chairman.
Gillespie has a wealth of experience in the digital space: as a digital specialist for PGi and MJM Creative Services; chief operating officer at The Ravens Group; brand and digital strategy lead at Booz Allen Hamilton; and most recently leading digital strategy offerings at EY in Washington.
Many of his clients along the way have been US federal government agencies – a body of experience that has prompted Japanese origin global advertising and public relations company Dentsu to put Gillespie in charge of public sector services at its digital experience agency Isobar.
“Larry’s extensive knowledge of the public sector landscape and wealth of experience problem-solving on behalf of key government clients throughout the course of his career make him a welcome addition to the Isobar Public Sector and dentsu executive teams,” said Jacki Kelley, CEO of Dentsu Americas – to whom Gillespie will now report. “His unique sociocultural and data-driven approach is aligned with our mission to be Champions for Meaningful Progress.”
Dentsu has been expanding in size and scope recently, partly through global tech partnerships with Qualtrics, Salesforce, Adobe, and Google, among others. In 2019, the firm’s UK subsidiary Dentsu Aegis launched an Amazon-specialized consultancy in New York City.
Transforming government
Isobar Public Sector aims to help modernize government agencies through end-to-end digital transformation. Clients include the US Air Force, Air National Guard and the US Army. According to Kelley, the digitalization imperative takes on a new vigor in light of the pandemic and all the resultant pressure on government.
Kelley noted that Gillespie’s appointment “will be extremely valuable to clients as they navigate uncharted landscape – plotting pathways to economic recovery, cultivating social equity and inclusive policies, and preventing cybercrime.”
Gillespie will focus on supporting government agencies with experience design, app modernization, cloud infrastructure, emerging technology, data, and security. Dentsu’s tech partners will all be involved, as the firm prepares an integrated digital offering. And Gillespie will be backed by a strong team in this endeavor.
The Isobar Public Sector team includes chief financial officer Doug Jones – an experienced operations executive with a focus on the digital space; and chief operating officer Keith Pine – a digital expert with experience in cognitive technology, agile methodologies, and business development.
Two former Air Force leaders also join the Isobar Public Sector board with Gillespie: William Donahue, the former commander of US Air Force communications and information centre; and John Gilligan, the US Air Force’s former chief information officer.
