Singapore – Edelman, a global communications firm, continues to strengthen its senior leadership lineup in the Asia-Pacific region, as it has recently expanded the role of Michelle Hutton, currently the CEO of Edelman Australia and vice chair for APAC to expand her remit in her vice chair role to now cover client and growth responsibilities. Meanwhile, the firm has also promoted Susan Redden Makatoa, currently the group managing director at Edelman Australia, to the role of head of corporate for APAC at Edelman.
The new announcements follow the firm’s recent senior appointments of Adrian Warr as CEO of Edelman SEA, and John Kerr as the vice chair for technology at Edelman APAC, effective by 1 October.
In her expanded role, Hutton will leverage her experience in building Edelman’s integrated solutions offering in APAC to evolve the firm’s client-centric approach, ensuring Strategy, Creative, Data and Digital sit at the heart of all client business and growth efforts.
As such, Hutton will now also oversee the firm’s regional client leadership, new business and marketing initiatives going forward, ensuring each of these areas build on the firm’s vision to deliver truly integrated work for its clients.
Meanwhile, Redden Makatoa will lead Edelman’s reputation and advisory practice across the region, reporting into Stephen Kehoe, Edelman’s CEO for APAC, and Dave Samson, global vice chair of corporate affairs. She brings over 20 years of experience in leading reputation management and advisory services across business, government and not-for-profit sectors. Having joined Edelman in February 2020, she has already led the firm’s Australia clients through the unrelenting challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With these moves, we are creating a more powerful, client-centric organization than ever before in APAC. We’re an agency that has never stood still; our pioneering spirit continues today and we have a collective hunger to deliver impactful and effective integrated work for our clients, with a One Edelman mindset,” said Stephen Kehoe, president and CEO for Asia-Pacific at Edelman.
Other notable Edelman corporate moves in the region include updating the lineup for Edelman China, as well as updating its creative team for its APAC team.
