Tag: Leadership

Singapore – Weber Shandwick has announced strategic leadership appointments to accelerate growth and innovation across its Asia-Pacific operations. They include Polka Yu as APAC chief integration officer (CIO) and managing director for Hong Kong and South China (Shenzhen); Carolyn Devanayagam as managing director of Singapore; and Robert Magyar as APAC head of healthcare.

Yu will work closely with the regional team to drive and execute integrated marketing communications strategies. She will focus on driving organic growth with top-tier clients while building new client relationships across the region. 

Additionally, Yu will lead the expansion of the Hong Kong market and oversee the China Go Global initiative, managing international communications for China-based clients from the agency’s Hong Kong and Shenzhen offices. Yu brings 20 years of experience in strategic consultation and planning for integrated global campaigns, business development, and team management in APAC, especially Hong Kong and mainland China. 

Meanwhile, Devanayagam will focus on accelerating the agency’s growth by enhancing its capabilities in key business areas. She recently celebrated 25 years of service with the agency, marking a distinguished multi-decade career spanning Southeast Asia, China, and the United States. 

In addition to her new role, Devanayagam will continue to serve as the Head of Corporate Affairs in the region, providing strategic counsel to key global clients, partnering with corporations, NGOs, and industry leaders to drive impactful initiatives.

Lastly, with over 20 years of experience advising senior executives in strategic communications and healthcare across multiple markets, Magyar will focus on driving growth, enhancing client relationships, and developing talent with the firm’s healthcare vertical. 

The trio will be reporting directly to Tyler Kim, CEO of Weber Shandwick APAC.

“These leadership appointments reflect our unwavering commitment to providing world-class services to our clients and partners. Polka, Carolyn, and Robert’s deep understanding of our markets and industry verticals will be instrumental in driving our strategy forward and ensuring we stay at the forefront of the communications landscape in Asia Pacific,” Tyler said.

He added, “As we enter the next phase of our growth, we are focused on embracing change and making strategic improvements to deliver exceptional results for our clients. These appointments, along with our increased focus on industry-specific expertise, position us optimally for continued success in the region.” 

Australia – Tara McKenty has joined AKQA Australia as executive creative director, further strengthening the agency’s leadership team as it continues its integration with whiteGREY.

In her role, Tara will collaborate closely with AKQA Australia’s senior leadership team, including Tim Devine, executive creative director; Iona Macgregor, chief strategy officer, and Justine Leong, general manager for Sydney, to continue driving excellence and growth within the region.

She brings over 16 years of creative industry experience across the APAC region, including a decade leading Google’s creative team across APAC. Her work has been celebrated globally, earning awards at all major festivals, including a coveted Gold for Creative Innovation at Cannes Lions.

A thought leader in the local and international creative community, Tara has served on high-profile juries such as the Cannes Lions Innovation Jury. She is also the founder of D&AD RARE, a global initiative supporting underrepresented groups thriving within the creative industries.

Speaking on her appointment, Tara said, “AKQA is renowned for creating work that blends creativity, technology, and humanity in meaningful ways. I’m looking forward to working with a strong team of leaders and partnering with our clients to build innovative and impactful experiences that truly make a difference.”

Meanwhile, Leong commented, “Tara is an exceptional talent whose creative excellence and leadership have left an indelible mark on the industry. Her commitment to innovation and inclusion aligns perfectly with AKQA’s mission to create a better future. We’re delighted to have Tara join us and are excited about the impact she will bring to our clients and team.”

Sydney, Australia – Global freelancing marketplace Freelancer.com has announced the promotion of Marko Zitko as its director of marketing and communications. In this newly created role, Marko will head up all brand marketing, communications and investor relations for Freelancer globally.

Since joining in 2022, Marko has played an integral role in leading Freelancer’s public relations and communications department. In his three years at the company, he achieved record highs for total media coverage, growing year-on-year ten-fold and developing strong media relations across global publications. 

Marko also had led several brand marketing and content initiatives since taking over the marketing department earlier in the year. 

Marko has worked in public relations and marketing for over seven years. He initially joined Freelancer in January 2022 as its communications manager. Marko was promoted in May 2023 to take over investor relations for Freelancer Limited and its subsidiaries, and then again in December 2023 to lead marketing as the senior marketing and communications manager. 

Prior to joining Freelancer, Marko worked at WE Communications Australia where he progressed to a senior account manager level managing key enterprise technology and consumer technology clients, including Adobe Creative Cloud, GIGABYTE, Sony Mobile and UiPath.

Speaking on his promotion, Marko said, “I’m thrilled to continue growing at Freelancer with the new role as director of marketing and communications. It’s an exciting time at the company, especially with the improvements the team is making on the product side and the ways AI is elevating the talent on the platform.”

He added, “It’s never been easier to start a business and I’m reminded of this everyday seeing clients all around the world making their dreams real. From a marketing and comms perspective, our team will be focusing on refreshing the Freelancer brand and exploring new, innovative ways to tell our story globally.” 

Meanwhile, Matt Barrie, chief executive at Freelancer.com, commented, “Marko’s promotion reflects our commitment to innovative marketing strategies and strengthening our global communications approach. His track record of elevating our media presence and strategic communications makes him the ideal leader to drive our marketing efforts forward.”

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Global digital agency DEPT has appointed David Neal as its new global chief financial officer (CFO). In this role, David will bring together the global finance and operations team, driving innovation and streamlining processes by positioning finance as a strategic partner to the business. 

David brings substantial experience as a chief financial officer, with a proven track record in the marketing and advertising sectors across South and Southeast Asia and global leadership positions. Most recently, he served as the global CFO for Dentsu Creative and Dentsu’s production unit, Tag. 

In his new role, David will be based in London. He will leverage his extensive background to redefine the finance department as a strategic ally within DEPT, enhancing collaboration with other business units—especially operations, and people & culture. Neal will also harness the potential of AI to transform financial processes, fostering a culture of relentless curiosity and innovation. 

Speaking on his new role, David said, “During my conversations with the leadership team and colleagues, I was invigorated by the energy and ambition within DEPT. I realized this is a place where we can do things differently. I hope to transform finance into a true strategic partner, providing insights, analysis, and driving commercial growth.”

Meanwhile, Dimi Albers, global CEO at DEPT, commented, “At DEPT, we’re all about keeping innovation at the core of everything we do. By bringing our finance and operations teams closer together, we are merging two key business areas to drive strategic growth. David will help us unlock new opportunities and ensure that innovation remains at the heart of everything we do.”

David is stepping into the role as Mickey Kalifa moves on after two years with the company. 

“Mickey has been instrumental in creating a more integrated and connected finance team, but his contributions go far beyond the numbers. He’s been an invaluable part of DEPT®, leaving a lasting mark on our culture and everyone he’s worked with. We’re deeply grateful for all he’s done and wish him great success in his next chapter,” Albers said.

Singapore – Operational machine learning (ML) and performance advertising company Moloco has announced the appointment of Nopparat Yokubon as Moloco Ads lead for Southeast Asia and ANZ as well as Jason Bagg as commerce media lead for ANZ.

These appointments highlight Moloco’s commitment to expanding its presence across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region as it continues to meet the growing demand for ML solutions in the digital advertising landscape.

Nopparat, a seasoned adtech veteran with over 16 years of experience in digital advertising and monetisation across APAC, will spearhead Moloco’s growth initiatives in Southeast Asia. Her extensive regional expertise and proven track record in scaling advertising technology solutions positions her perfectly to drive Moloco’s next phase of growth in this dynamic market. 

“Southeast Asia represents a pivotal mobile first market with emerging opportunities in app development, particularly in markets such as Vietnam and Pakistan. As businesses navigate the current economic landscape and seek sustainable growth, our mission is to help them overcome complex challenges in user privacy, AI transparency and ad fraud,” Nopparat said.

She added, “We are already seeing a strong traction with financial services, gaming publishers and consumer apps across the region and we are committed to evolving our Machine Learning powered solutions to meet the region’s diverse marketing needs.”

Meanwhile, Bagg possesses unique insights as both a former platform customer and industry veteran, positioning him to best lead Moloco growth in the sophisticated ANZ market. He also has deep experience in transforming retail media operations and driving advertiser success.

“Having experienced Moloco’s platform capabilities as a customer, I witnessed firsthand its transformative impact in scaling commerce media advertising. The team’s commitment to innovation and product excellence made this a compelling opportunity and I’m excited to work with retailers across Australia and New Zealand to help them build and scale their media businesses with a focus on driving sustainable, long-term growth and returns,” Bagg said.

Meanwhile, Ikkjin Ahn, co-founder and CEO of Moloco, commented, “These strategic appointments underscore our deep commitment to the Asia-Pacific region. Nopparat and Jason’s extensive experience and deep understanding of local markets will be invaluable as we continue to deliver innovative, machine learning-powered solutions that empower businesses to navigate and thrive in an evolving digital advertising landscape.”

Manila, Philippines – Albet Buddahim has been recently named the vice president and head of marketing at MEGA Prime Foods. In it, he brings a wealth of experience in the marketing scene to a leading food company whose portfolio includes best-selling food products like MEGA Sardines, MEGA Tuna, and MEGA Mackerel.

In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Albet details what’s in it for him in this new marketing leadership role, his learnings that he intends to bring at MEGA Prime Foods, as well as navigating the complexities of doing marketing in the F&B industry.

Building the marketing organisation and business

For Albet, his new role will revolve around two major objectives: building the marketing organisation who he will work with, and building the business. 

“I look after a brand and marketing team of 24 headcounts and we are hiring 5 more to ensure we achieve our 2025 goals. [Moreover], I will [also] be working with HR, Management and the marketing leadership team to have our brand/marketing become a tribe who has a right-to-win (capabilities, competencies, culture) and play-to-win (strategic where-to-play and knows how-to-win) with a growth mindset,” he explained.

Albet also added that from a work standpoint, his role will look after three main groups of marketing professionals, namely Brand Management & Development, Marketing Capabilities and Resources, and Digital, Data & E-Commerce.

With a winning team, then we will be able to collaborate and become a One Mega Dream team to achieve [the top] one position in our product categories,” he noted.

In terms of the marketing strategy, he says that they will implement the so-called 5A’s of business building, namely Awareness, Affinity-building, Affordability, Accessibility and Availability.

Awareness is about ensuring millions know about the company and brands, what it does/provides, what they stand for and why the brand exists. Moreover, affinity-building is about ensuring that they are building brand preference and that the target consumers/customers/shoppers will like MEGA brands versus its competitors.

Meanwhile, affordability is about creating and communicating the value of the brands and their products as compared to alternatives and substitutes. Accessibility is about ensuring that the brand’s products can be easily purchased (accessed) in the nearest sari-sari store or modern trade along its shoppers/consumers’ path-to-purchase. Lastly, availability is the right SKU in the right place and time, ensuring that the brands products are not out-of-stock.

Reflections in transition to new role

Before his new role at MEGA Prime Foods, he was most recently the chief marketing officer at Primer Group of Companies. He was responsible for leading the various marketing and creative teams across the company in both traditional and digital channels by creating and communicating Primer’s business value. 

Speaking on his learnings from his previous role, he said that winning the context is important in terms of targeting particular demographics versus going for media placements.

“The importance of doing STP (segment, target, position) and truly understanding which segment has disposable income to buy the premium brands like TUMI, Delsey, Herschel. Moving forward to MEGA Prime Foods, we will continue to segment the target market into strategic target audience and prime prospects, in a way that we have more focused (more resonating and relevant, contextual content) initiatives to drive customer acquisition and repeat,” he explained.

Navigating challenges through technology

For Albet, one of the biggest marketing challenges for him to tackle would be achieving differentiation, as the omnichannel approach makes it easier for competitors to replicate, catch up, and gain visibility into our marketing efforts. 

Moreover, ensuring a sustainable source of growth and profitability is also critical for the company’s product, brand, and category portfolio, especially as globalisation and direct-to-consumer (DTC) models enable global and Chinese businesses to enter the market with competitive price advantages. 

Lastly, attracting and retaining top marketing talent poses a significant challenge, given the financial constraints of a local manufacturing company compared to global premium brands and corporations.

“MEGA Sardines is the #1 Sardines in the Philippines and we have continued to expand our MEGA seafood line into Tuna, Mackarel and Squid. The pattern of mergers & acquisitions is also a trend that our company MEGA Prime foods has pursued with the recent 2024 acquisition of Jimm’s Coffee mix,” he said.

Albet added, “Moving forward to 2025 and beyond, our company will continue to leverage technology (ie. AI, RPA, etc.) from our fishing vessels, to manufacturing, down to marketing, sales and distribution.”

Australia – Creative technology agency Orchard has appointed Anne Ngo to the newly created role of head of customer growth and martech, accelerating the agency’s martech capabilities and commitment to delivering high-impact, data-driven solutions for its clients.

In her new role at Orchard, Ngo will be responsible for driving Orchard’s martech offering across both its consumer and healthcare divisions, as well as innovating across customer experience, data, and martech. 

With over 15 years of global experience in customer growth, lifecycle marketing, and digital transformation, Ngo brings a wealth of experience in both CX and martech, joining Orchard after spending nearly four years as Akcelo’s customer strategy and martech director. 

Throughout her esteemed career Ngo has held positions at some of the world’s most established brands including FlexiGroup’s head of marketing, Latitude Financial Services’ Head of Marketing, and as American Express’ director of strategic partnerships and global network services. During her tenure at FlexiGroup, Latitude Financial Services and American Express, she led large-scale and insights-driven campaigns, built loyalty programs, and drove martech activation and integration.

Speaking on her new role, she said, “I am delighted to be joining the team at Orchard, whose ‘Invent Better’ mission encapsulates what most excites me about the industry. This mantra not only powers the work and relationships with clients, but it is infused in the culture and talented individuals the agency has developed. Integrating data and martech with marketing practices and customer experiences is my passion, and I am so glad to be joining a team where this is celebrated.”

Meanwhile, Wai Kwok, CEO of Orchard, commented, “Anne’s depth of experience in CX and martech is a tremendous asset for us as we continue to grow. She brings an approach that’s both strategic and pragmatic—she understands how to unlock the value of data and martech in a way that’s impactful for brands and relevant to customers. This balance is exactly what we need to continue evolving our martech services, and I’m thrilled to have her leadership at the forefront.”

Shanghai, China – McCann Worldgroup China has announced that Jacqueline Wu will rejoin the agency in a dual role as president of operations for McCann Worldgroup China and CEO of Craft China, its production studio, effective immediately.

Wu previously served as managing director of Craft China, where she spent nine years building and leading the team, before transitioning to Wunderman Thompson (VML) for the past three years.

As Wu rejoins the agency, she will focus on boosting operational efficiency, driving business growth, and spearheading innovative production solutions. With a proven track record in leading and managing complex business operations, she is uniquely equipped to deliver both efficiency and innovation for the agency.

Throughout her career, Wu has worked with a diverse range of clients, from top-tier international brands to leading local enterprises. Her impressive client roster includes L’Oréal, KFC, General Motors, Coca-Cola/Sprite, Princess Cruises, J&J, Qingdao, and Richemont Group.

Speaking on her appointment, Wu stated, “The achievements of the past would not have been possible without McCann Worldgroup and Craft’s advanced management philosophy and collaboration with regional leadership. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to work with Carter and Melissa again. They are not only my long-time colleagues but also dear friends. With their support, we can elevate McCann Worldgroup and Craft to new heights and achieve even greater success together.”

Meanwhile, Carter Chow, CEO of McCann Worldgroup Greater China, commented, “With Jacqueline’s wealth of experience, she will immediately be tasked to develop new and innovative capabilities for Craft, setting competitive industry benchmarks across all aspects of content production. At the same time, Jacqueline will lead the group’s operations team to enhance integration and operational efficiencies, leading to long-term growth for our clients.”

“China is one of our most important markets as it demands high-quality localisation, which requires tailoring not only the language but also cultural values, aesthetics, and a deep understanding of their unique digital ecosystem. This can only be achieved through strong local expertise in creative production,” added Melissa Chan, regional managing director of Craft Asia Pacific. 

Australia – Amperity has announced the appointment of Tony Alika Owens as its new chief executive officer and member of the board. With over 20 years of experience scaling global sales and enterprise operations, Owens joins Amperity amid strong market momentum, as the company advances its mission to help brands transform complex customer data into business value.

Throughout his career, Owens has navigated the same customer data challenges that Amperity’s clients face today. This firsthand experience gives him a unique understanding of the pain points that Amperity solves – and the value it provides enterprises.

Owens brings over 20 years of experience in executive roles at Salesforce and Oracle, where he scaled enterprise operations and global sales. Prior to Amperity, he was the president of worldwide field operations at LivePerson, overseeing the company’s go-to-market strategy and teams. 

Before LivePerson, he had progressive responsibilities running Salesforce’s field operations in the Americas and was a member of the executive committee. Owens also previously served as group vice president at Oracle. Tony serves on the board of directors for The Mandatum Foundation, SnapLogic, Pathlight, and CIPIO.ai.

Speaking on his new role, Owens said, “Customers are at the heart of Amperity’s success. Amperity has an incredible opportunity to help businesses unlock their customer data’s full potential. By leveraging AI to refine and democratise data, we’re empowering technical teams to shape business strategy and fuel unprecedented growth.”

Meanwhile, Derek Slager, co-founder, CTO and board member at Amperity, commented, “I’m incredibly excited and confident in Tony’s leadership as we enter our next phase of growth. We share an aligned vision for AI and data, focusing on what matters most – executing on valuable use cases and delivering rapid time-to-value for our customers.”

Lastly, Matt McIlwain, managing director at Madrona and Amperity board member, stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Tony as the new CEO of Amperity. His extensive enterprise software experience in customer relationship management and data analytics, along with his leadership at a global scale, will be instrumental as he leads Amperity through continued growth. I am confident that Tony’s obsession with customer value will take the company to new heights in this AI and data-driven era.”

Australia – OpenX Technologies, Inc. has appointed Emma Gronow as its new buyer development director for the ANZ, bringing her extensive experience in digital, mobile, and TV to strengthen OpenX’s programmatic and data-driven solutions across the region. 

Gronow joins OpenX from Little Dot Studios and will collaborate closely with the company’s brand advertisers and agency partners to showcase OpenX’s programmatic and data-driven solutions, including its advanced TV by OpenX offering.

She will report directly to Clay Gill, who also recently joined OpenX from IPG.

Speaking on the appointment, Mitch Greenway, managing director for APAC at OpenX, said, “Emma’s expertise across CTV and digital experience is a welcome addition to the OpenX ANZ team. Her appointment reinforces our commitment to expanding TV by OpenX in the region, and we look forward to her support in strengthening partnerships and driving growth across ANZ.”