Lehne brings with him more than 30 years of industry experience. Prior to Incubeta, Lehne spent four years as global CEO at SYZYGY, a publicly listed WPP Group company.

Before that, he spent seven years at Google as country director agency DACH, paving the way for the tech giant quadrupling revenues in Germany. He has also held various senior management positions in agencies including Maxus, GroupM, Carat and MEC.

"Having started a small South African business many years ago, I am so very proud of how far the company has come. By building a fantastic team around me and adding inspirational businesses from around the world, Incubeta has grown into a leading player in digital marketing services globally," says Lipschitz.

"The company is in a great place, yet I believe in order to accelerate pace and to meet the challenges of the future, we need a different type of leader. I have the utmost faith that Lars is the leader the company needs," adds Lipschitz.

In addition to his current role as new group CEO of Incubeta, Lehne is a member of the advisory board of Yext and betterplace.org, a Berlin-based NGO. He's also an angel investor in CLAIMINI GmbH.

As group CEO, Lehne will be leading company positioning and growth, including its operations in North America, driving the business strategy and further uniting the group across the globe.

"I'm thrilled and honoured to be joining such a forward-thinking and innovative company. Incubeta has continued to grow during one of the most challenging years for the industry, which is a testament to the quality and hard work of every team member across the globe. The company has flourished under Alan’s leadership and it's a great privilege that he's trusting me to take his dream forward," says Lehne.

"As marketing continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it's harder now than ever before for brands to connect with their customers. By integrating media, technology and creative in a seamless way, Incubeta has developed the right services and products to help clients grow in a digital world," says Lehne.

"Incubeta puts the ownership of the customer experience back into the hands of its clients. I can't wait to see what the next chapter for Incubeta looks like," he adds.

"The South African team and our clients look forward to benefiting from Lars' extensive global insight and experience. This comes at a time when rapid digital transformation is significantly impacting local organisations and the benefits of Incubeta's international market experience and leadership make for a powerful differentiator," says Roan Mackintosh, MD of Incubeta Middle East and Africa. 

"The South African team manages a large portfolio of enterprise clients, as well as much of the EMEA and Asia Pacific operations and Lars' appointment sets the scene for a year focussed on client and skills growth," concludes Mackintosh. 

For more information, visit www.incubeta.com.