Tag: Appointment

Sydney, Australia – Brand strategy and design consultancy, Houston has strengthened its creative offering, recently announcing the appointments of Alex Creamer to the role of creative director and Michelle Teh as design director.

In their new roles, Creamer and Teh will bolster Houston’s strong offering across the brand design spectrum and their creative leadership team, offering new perspectives to create remarkable solutions for its brand partners.

Most recently creative director at Interbrand and prior to that at RE, Creamer has helped reshape some of Australia’s biggest and most iconic brands including McDonalds, Sydney Fish Market, Optus, Westpac, Federation Square and graphite pencil winning NextSense.

On the other hand, Teh brings more than 14 years industry experience garnered from roles in London, Amsterdam and Sydney to Houston. Most recently she worked at Nike Brand Creative’s European Headquarters, where she played a pivotal role in shaping brand experiences and storytelling within the brand’s retail fleet across the EMEA region.

Speaking on his appointment, Creamer said, “In a rapidly changing world, clients are actively seeking new ideas and experiences to solve their business challenges. Hence my excitement in joining an agency with such strong momentum and a renowned creative culture.”

Talking about her new role as well, Teh added, “I have a true passion for my craft and am committed to designing meaningful narratives and memorable brand experiences for clients. I can’t wait to get stuck in and bring this mindset and commitment to Houston’s clients.”

Alex Toohey, ECD Houston, also added, “Alex and Michelle will bring new perspectives and energy to our already formidable creative team and we are very excited to start working with them both. Alex’s love for all things brand and experience coupled with Michelle’s expertise in global identities and branded spaces, will add depth and fresh thinking to the agency as well as bolstering our creative leadership team.

Meanwhile, Stu O’Brien, CEO and founder of Houston, mentioned, “As Houston looks to offer its clients best-in-class creative thinking, I believe we have found phenomenal talent in both Alex and Michelle. Their experience reshaping some of the world’s most well-known brands makes them unicorns in this market and I am delighted to welcome them to our team.”

Singapore – Independent full-service agency Leverate Group is proud to announce the appointment of Monica Hynds as its managing director for Singapore.

In her new role, Hynds will focus on strengthening and growing the full range of Leverate Group’s services, including all-round media services, creative brand communication, and martech.

Prior to joining Leverate Group Singapore, Hynds took on the role of general manager at DDB Group Singapore and, before that, regional director APAC of Hogarth Worldwide. She was also previously at BBDO Singapore as managing director and held the position of head of agency at Spark 44 for Jaguar Land Rover APAC between 2017 and 2020.

A seasoned brand and business professional, Hynds worked with several leading global agency networks such as We Are Social, Ogilvy & Mather, and J. Walter Thompson. With over 20 years of industry experience, she is well-equipped to guide Leverate Group on its journey toward becoming an industry leader that serves clients with global expertise, executed locally.

Speaking on her own appointment, Hynds said, “Singapore is a strategic hub for Leverate group, our clients, and our partners. We are here for one reason only: To fuel and elevate our clients’ business growth with our holistic capabilities under one house. I look forward to speaking to all our clients very soon!”

Meanwhile, Marlina Lim, CEO of Leverate Group, commented, “We believe in Monica’s leadership and her ability to not just build brands for our clients, but also transform their businesses. I am excited to extend Leverate’s excellent and game-changing work across the region with Monica.”

Singapore – Multinational pizza restaurant chain Pizza Hut has recently appointed Michelle Wong as its newest marketing director for South Asia to drive growth and elevate brand visibility across all channels. 

In her new role, Wong’s main responsibility will be to provide strategic direction to franchise marketing teams, with a focus on building sustainable plans that drive sales and enhance brand presence across all channels over time. 

In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Wong delved into the factors that attracted her to Pizza Hut, the significance of her past experiences in shaping her new role, and her strategic vision for bolstering the brand’s presence and market dominance across South Asia.

Leveraging past experiences for future success

Prior to joining Pizza Hut, Wong served as McDonald’s director of market activation, working with marketing teams in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and LATAM markets to create robust martech, CRM, customer segmentation, and loyalty strategies. 

In her nine-year tenure at McDonald’s, she had the privilege of contributing to a global and beloved brand, giving her valuable experiences that she believes will be instrumental in her new role at Pizza Hut. 

Amongst these invaluable assets is her ‘outside-in’ perspective, which allows her to leapfrog traditional learning curves in crafting exceptional brand experiences and nurturing enduring fan connections. Additionally, she had also learned to embrace a mindset of experimentation, characterised by rapid learning and acceptance of failure, especially in adopting new technologies and harnessing the power of data.

Strategies for market dominance and navigating the future of F&B marketing

As the newly appointed marketing director, Wong’s main aim is to invigorate Pizza Hut’s presence and market dominance in South Asia through a multi-faceted approach.

Wong emphasised her commitment to continuously refining their delivery, dine-in, and takeaway experiences to exceed customer expectations. Additionally, she will also prioritise active engagement with their audience, amplifying Pizza Hut South Asia’s presence in conversations and listening intently to their feedback. 

Furthermore, Wong plans to introduce more exciting innovations to their menu, offering fresh interpretations of beloved classics to delight Pizza Hut’s loyal fans and attract new patrons alike. 

When asked what she thinks lies ahead for F&B marketing, Wong believes that the future is poised for hyper-personalisation, where real-time data and self-learning algorithms enable highly customised experiences on an individual level.

For her, Pizza Hut is primed to navigate this landscape by embracing exploration and experimentation. By continuously testing and uncovering the key drivers of meaningful customer experiences throughout their journey, they can stay ahead of the curve and ensure that their offerings resonate deeply with their audience.

Embracing the iconic legacy of Pizza Hut 

Speaking on what drew her to join Pizza Hut, Wong explained that it was the opportunity to spearhead the next transformative chapter of such an iconic brand. 

She understands that Pizza Hut is a brand that generation X and older audiences remember fondly for bringing people together, for hot pizza delivery delivered to the door, for the iconic Pizza Hut jingle, and of course, for the great taste of pan and stuffed crust. 

Wong acknowledges the brand’s nostalgic appeal and aims to channel it in a fresh and innovative direction.

“I was drawn to the opportunity of taking this iconic brand into its next transformative journey—modernisation and engaging younger fans. Pizza Hut evokes fond childhood memories for me, and I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity at Pizza Hut South Asia to work with a stellar cast,” she concluded. 

Singapore – drcom, a global life sciences medico-marketing agency, has announced the appointment of Gwenael Meneux as its new deputy CEO, taking over from founder Didier Roumengas before the end of the year. 

Meneux will be implementing drcom’s strategic plan through his extensive experience and leadership.

The appointment of Meneux demonstrates drcom’s commitment to strengthening its leadership team with expertise, guaranteeing the agency’s ongoing progress in innovation to satisfy the demands of its pharmaceutical clientele. As it grows throughout Asia and beyond, drcom will continue to build solid alliances with leading local businesses and international pharmaceutical companies.

Prior to joining drcom, Meneux held positions at AstraZeneca, including general manager posts in China and France and commercial excellence & strategy. He has experience in FMCG marketing and communication with L’Oréal and strategic consulting with BCG. 

Speaking about his appointment, Meneux said, “I’m thrilled to join such a talented team. For the last 2 decades, Drcom has been instrumental/ in supporting the transformation of pharma interaction with HCPs and with patients. They have pioneered Closed Loop Marketing and omnichannel management into the healthcare landscape in Europe and in APAC region. Nowadays, Life Science player’s needs are evolving with more customised, targeted and highly scientific narratives. Drcom will continue to be at the forefront of innovation to support those critical evolution.”

Singapore – Open web technology platform Outbrain has appointed Chris Oxley to the newly created role of country manager for Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, wherein he will lead the charge in driving the expansion of Outbrain’s advertising business. 

In his new role, Oxley will oversee the development and implementation of Outbrain’s commercial strategy along with driving new business opportunities to accelerate revenue growth across the region. His responsibilities include building and maintaining strategic partnerships, amplifying Outbrain’s value proposition, and managing the Outbrain sales teams.

Most recently, Oxley was the national head of digital sales for Foxtel Media, where he launched programmatic TV and led the team to commercialise advertising on the streaming platform Binge. Prior to that, he had successful tenures at Yahoo and BSkyB, which have contributed to Oxley’s deep understanding of ad tech platforms, programmatic advertising and data-driven marketing.

Speaking on his appointment, Oxley said, “Outbrain has quickly become a leader in digital media, connecting advertisers with premium audiences in contextually relevant environments. I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to lead the ANZ and Singapore teams, solidifying our role as the primary engagement partner for some of the world’s top digital media companies.”

Meanwhile, Amrita de la Peña, APAC managing director at Outbrain commented, “Chris is a best-in-class sales leader. He leads from the front and has a remarkable track record of empowering sales teams to surpass their targets. He possesses extensive expertise with a passion in digital media and he strives to build an incredible sales team who are just as passionate as he is.”

“Chris was selected for his visionary mindset, strong relationships in-market, and successful track record of leading high performing teams. We are thrilled to welcome Chris to Outbrain at this exciting time of growth,” she added.

San Francisco, USA – Global digital experience software company Sitecore has announced the appointment of Dave O’Flanagan as its new chief executive officer, along with a series of key leadership and board changes to drive innovation and growth. 

In his new role, O’Flanagan will continue to advance Sitecore’s DXP leadership by driving ongoing innovation and transforming customer value with AI.

O’Flanagan previously served as the company’s interim CEO after three years as chief product officer (CPO). He led the transition to Composable and the introduction of Sitecore’s SaaS DXP solutions.

Before joining Sitecore, O’Flanagan was the founder and CEO of Boxever, which was acquired by Sitecore in 2021.

Together with O’Flanagan’s appointment, the company has also announced additional leadership changes. 

After five years of leading Sitecore’s suite of content and management products, Roger Connolly has been promoted to chief product officer to drive all content lifecycle and AI innovation. 

Danny Robinson has been appointed as the new chief technology officer (CTO), having previously led the team behind Sitecore’s AI-enhanced personalisation solutions. 

Meanwhile, Rohinee Mohindroo has been appointed as the new chief digital and information officer (CDIO). Mohindroo has been the driving force behind recent advancements in security and data privacy across the product portfolio.

Alongside these leadership moves, Sitecore has also made four new board appointments to help deliver on its vision. The new board members will work alongside Darren Roos, chair of the Sitecore board. 

Among the appointees are Christian Shin Høegh Andersen, partner at private equity firm EQT Partners, and Maggie Buggie, who brings 20 years’ experience leveraging technology to transform businesses, with a focus on AI and digital customer experience. 

Also on the board are Michael Ouissi, who has spent more than 20 years specialising in enterprise go-to-market strategy, and Saleah Hassen Laher, who has more than 30 years’ experience in enterprise software delivery and customer success.

Effective immediately, the leadership and board changes are aimed at accelerating the strategy of the new CEO and driving further growth for Sitecore. 

At the recent Sitecore User Group Conference, O’Flanagan revealed a suite of generative AI capabilities as part of the company’s ‘marketer-first’ AI strategy. These capabilities are expected to dramatically transform the way marketers work to create content and deliver standout, personalised experiences.

Sitecore’s new AI features, including AI-driven recommendations for website search, advanced A/B testing, and image recognition, enhance its existing AI offerings. The AI Copilot tool is crafted to streamline marketers’ tasks throughout the content creation process, boosting efficiency and impact across various channels.

Speaking on the announcement, Roos said, “I’ve known Dave since he joined Sitecore through the acquisition of Boxever, where he was the founder and CEO. The opportunity in front of Sitecore is great, and Dave’s customer-first mindset, focus on innovation and execution, as well as his energy around the positive impact Sitecore’s solutions can have on customers and partners, will help propel Sitecore’s growth.”

Also commenting on his promotion, O’Flanagan shared, “This is an incredibly exciting moment in Sitecore’s journey as we continue to redefine the potential of the DXP. We’re bringing together the best in content, personalisation, and AI to power standout experiences for visionary brands in every industry. It’s an honour to take on this role, and I can’t wait to get started alongside our brilliant customers, team, partners, and the wider Sitecore community.”

Singapore – In a move to bolster its platforms, video entertainment platform Viddsee has announced the addition of media veteran Ricky Ow to its board of directors. 

With a distinguished career spanning successful roles at WarnerMedia, Turner, and Sony Pictures, Ow brings to Viddsee a deep understanding of the media landscape, notably in market development, content production, and IP investment.

Ow’s appointment to Viddsee’s board of directors aims to lead its transformation into a dynamic entertainment hub that nurtures and promotes impactful creative content. Leveraging his extensive media background and leadership in Web3 enterprises, Ow will play a pivotal role in steering Viddsee’s direction and spearheading new initiatives under ‘Candee Labs’, Viddsee’s innovation venture into the Web3 AI space.

Viddsee has evolved from a platform primarily focused on showcasing short-form content with a network of storytellers to placing a stronger emphasis on the production of award-winning original content and expansive brand campaigns. This pivot leverages its network of over 5,000 creators to not only expand in size but also enhance the quality and scope of its content offerings. 

Moreover, Viddsee is enhancing its methods for scouting creators to better identify and cultivate emerging regional talent. Drawing upon Ow’s expertise, Viddsee seeks to navigate the intricacies of the media landscape, cementing its status as a premier hub for creative content across Asia. 

Ow’s addition to Viddsee marks a significant milestone as the platform continues to lead and innovate in digital content, promising exciting new developments for brands, streamers, and entertainment partners.

Commenting on his appointment, Ow stated, “I look forward to guiding and supporting Viddsee’s journey at this transformative phase as we strengthen the platform and empower regional talent, setting new benchmarks in the creative industry.” 

Ho Jia Jian, founder and CEO at Viddsee, also said, “We are incredibly privileged to welcome Ricky to our board. His extensive experience and deep industry insights will be crucial as we advance in innovation and leadership, particularly through challenging yet promising environments.”

Malaysia – dentsu Malaysia has elevated Winnie Chen-Head to the position of managing director of media to further drive transformation and innovation of the network’s media practice in the market. 

In this appointment, Chen-Head will take over Pankaj Nayak, who led dentsu Malaysia’s media practice in an interim role since April 2023. Nayak will now focus on his role as managing director of media at dentsu Singapore. 

Chen-Head brings with her over 23 years of experience as a marketing strategist. She joined dentsu Malaysia in 2021 as head of product and solutions for its media business. She has played a vital role in developing and scaling new solutions for clients, all while leading consistent business growth. 

Concurrently, Chen-Head also served as the head of iProspect Malaysia, leading the media agency to anchor itself as a digital-first agency and refine its scope of offerings for clients. 

In her new role, she will report directly to Audrey Chong, CEO of dentsu Malaysia.

Commenting on the appointment, Chong said, “With her proven track record in steering effective transformation and strategic growth within our network, Winnie is a natural choice to take our media practice in Malaysia to the next phase of growth. She takes over at a pivotal moment with the firm foundations that have been laid by Pankaj in his time with us. I am confident that Winnie and Pankaj will continue to work closely together and alongside our media practices across Southeast Asia to deliver an even stronger proposition for clients across the cluster.”

On her appointment, Chen-Head also shared, “As we help our clients navigate an increasingly dynamic business landscape, innovative and transformative strategy and growth take centre stage. This is what we at dentsu are committed to delivering for our clients. I am grateful to be able to work with our dedicated media teams in dentsu Malaysia to elevate brand transformation through impactful and agile media strategies that are adapted for the ever-changing external environment.”

Sydney, Australia – Allied Global Marketing (Allied), a full-service integrated marketing agency working with entertainment, consumer, and lifestyle brands, has announced the appointment of seasoned executive Nicola Gold as business director APAC for brand experience.

Gold will play a pivotal role in building the brand experience offering as part of Allied’s strategy to develop a truly integrated full-service offering, delivering exceptional business results for new and existing clients across the Asia-Pacific region. 

An award-winning experiential leader, Gold is an accomplished business transformer, leader, and creative thinker renowned for her ability to generate value and drive growth for clients and businesses on a local and international scale. 

Prior to joining Allied, she served as the director of creative operations for Pico International Dubai, where she redefined the creative offering and identified ways to improve the efficiency and cost of delivering world-class creative across multiple channels. 

Gold also worked as a strategic business director for Pico Australia Pty Ltd and general manager of Total Brand Activation Australia. There, she established and implemented new lines of business across digital and virtual as well as museum initiatives and multi-million-dollar projects. 

Aside from these, she previously held positions at George P. Johnson Experience Marketing (Sydney and Singapore), Jack Morton Worldwide, and OnePartners.

Gold’s appointment underscores Allied’s commitment to driving growth and delivering unparalleled value to clients in the dynamic and evolving experiential landscape. Since expanding its operations into the APAC region, Allied has secured valued clients and executed key campaigns, including the world’s first ever singing billboard for Prime Video’s Deadloch, a fan activation experience at Comic-Con Mumbai for Crunchyroll, and a South Park pop-up store in Tokyo for Paramount+ to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series.

Effective immediately, she will be based in Sydney and will report directly to Jamie Crick, managing director of the APAC region, as well as to the executive vice presidents of Allied’s global brand experience team, Jonny Davis and Paddy Davis.

Commenting on the appointment, Crick said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Nikki to the team. Her extensive background in experiential marketing and proven track record of success will be instrumental as we continue to expand our presence in the region and further enhance the agency’s capabilities in delivering exceptional brand experiences.”

Singapore – The Barracks Hotel Sentosa, Oasia Resort Sentosa, The Outpost Hotel Sentosa, and Village Hotel Sentosa by Far East Hospitality have appointed WE Communications (WE), a global integrated communications agency, as their PR and social media agency of record.

With the appointment, WE will offer full assistance for all communication initiatives, including influencer engagement, campaign launches, media relations, social media management, content creation, creative production, and other services.

With this new partnership, the four hotels’ brand narratives will be improved and their influence will be expanded into important markets. WE will focus on developing compelling storylines through creative content and social media interaction, with a first emphasis on Southeast Asia, South Korea, and China. These narratives will highlight the unique features of the four hotels that make up a single Sentosa precinct: the adult-only vibe of The Outpost Hotel Sentosa, the practical wellness of Oasia Resort Sentosa, the bespoke luxury of The Barracks Hotel Sentosa, and the family-friendly entertainment of Village Hotel Sentosa.

Speaking about the appointment, Daryl Ho, managing director, Singapore, said, “We are excited to partner with the four hotels to showcase their signature Singapore-inspired hospitality and unique experiences in the island destination of Sentosa. With our insights into the travel and hospitality industry and creative storytelling expertise, we look forward to helping the hotels deepen guest relationships and drive more response with each of their distinctive audiences.”