Singapore – Publicis Groupe has announced new appointments to its senior leadership team in Asia-Pacific, namely Pauly Grant as chief talent officer, Martin Davie as head of performance, Jonathan Mackenzie as head of data solutions, and Joanna Ong as managing director of communications and PR.
Pauly was most recently the agency’s chief people officer for ANZ and head of people strategy for APAC. In her new role, she will continue to be responsible for ANZ’s human resource portfolio. Pauly will focus on driving the region’s talent and culture strategy to support the group’s business strategy. She will work closely with the market chief talent officers and the Asia-Pacific Executive Committee, and report to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO at Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.
She joined Publicis Groupe ANZ 11 years ago and has progressed through several increasingly senior roles, a testament to Publicis Groupe’s inclusive and progressive environment for its people. As an innovative HR leader, Pauly is committed to driving strategies that deliver important organisational change for the group’s people and business.
Meanwhile, Martin was most recently the managing director for international at Publicis Media Singapore, with his new role entitling him to focus on enhancing the group’s regional performance capabilities, ensuring superior client results and innovative service offerings, and instilling a performance-centric approach across the group’s operations. He reports to Ching Ian, CEO of PMX Asia Pacific, and Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer at Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.
Martin has leveraged his 18-year background in performance media in the UK, Australia, and Asia to drive exceptional client outcomes. Over the past three years, his leadership of the International Hub team has been key in helping global brands grow their business in the Asia-Pacific market.
For Jonathan, he was most recently the managing director of Publicis Media Precision Asia Pacific, and will be responsible for the growth of data-driven products and solutions that power advertising transformation for the group’s clients, across both media and creative. Jonathan reports to Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer at Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.
He has over 20 years of experience in digital advertising. He spearheaded the launch of Publicis Media Precision in 2017, transforming programmatic capability across the region from a specialised central hub to dedicated teams in all markets, delivering impact to clients’ digital performance while driving growth in programmatic billings and revenues.
Lastly, Joanna transitions into her new role from her recent role as managing director of MSL Singapore. In her new role, she is responsible for communications in the region across the group and reports to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific.
Joanna is a senior communications practitioner with over 25 years of experience in reputation management, corporate and brand strategy, and communications. She started her public relations career at Ogilvy PR and Burson-Marsteller and later moved into in-house roles, heading Asia Pacific corporate and brand communications for hospitality conglomerates including IHG, Radisson Hotel Group and Hilton Worldwide. She returned to the public relations industry in 2021 to lead MSL Singapore’s transformation and growth.
Speaking on these new appointments, Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Asia Pacific, Publicis Groupe, said, “We are delighted to be able to appoint our top talents from within our ranks who have demonstrated their capabilities into these key roles. This both underscores the breadth and depth of talent we have within the group and the fact that we are an organisation that recognises and rewards top talent with opportunities for growth and mobility. With these latest appointments, we are strengthening our core leadership team as we move ahead with our strategy to create even greater impact for clients and further elevate our position in the region.”
