Kim Douglas is gone from the top job at Dentsu CX unit Merkle after a short five months with the business.

The circumstances of the former Capgemini and Publicis Sapient executive's exit from the business remain murky, however Dentsu has alluded to behavioural issues in a statement addressing Douglas' departure.

"As a business we require all employees to behave responsibly, respectfully and in compliance with our code of conduct which defines the way we behave and our expectations of our people. This helps ensure we build a positive and respectful business culture where everyone can thrive," said a Dentsu spokesperson.

Douglas' remit will fall to Kirsty Muddle, who was elevated into a group-wide role as CEO of product and practice following a major restructure within the Dentsu ANZ business earlier this year.

It is understood Muddle will oversee the CX practice with the support of Merkle executives, whom she has already been working with closely as part of her existing role.

While the departure will not impact the strategic direction of the practice, it is another hit for the Merkle team, which has bled at least 100 roles since April. The latest 50 cuts, confirmed to Mi3 by Douglas in August, were attributed to dwindling client spend on large-scale tech transformation dwindled in a challenged macroeconomic environment.

“There is a huge opportunity on the horizon for experience led transformation businesses powered by data and tech across the B2B and B2C sector with investment predicted to increase as the economy stabilises and disruption drives innovation,” said Douglas in a statement at the time.

“Our focus remains unchanged, ensuring we continue to build a strong and fierce reputation as an experience-led transformation business across ANZ for our clients, partners and our people.”