Tag: Appointment

Singapore – The LEGO Group has unveiled two new additions to its Asia Pacific leadership team with the appointment of Cedric Roose as general manager for India and Emerging Asia and Nina Patricia Da Costa as general manager for Singapore, Malaysia, and Travel Retail. 

The appointments underscore the company’s commitment to expanding its presence and driving growth in the region by establishing strong leadership for the recently created business units of Singapore, Malaysia, and Travel Retail (SMTR), and India and Emerging Asia (IEA).

In his new role as general manager for the IEA business unit, Roose will leverage his strong and experienced leadership track record to drive sustainable commercial growth and regional expansion in IEA, with a strategic focus on India and Indonesia.

Prior to his promotion, he served as the LEGO Group’s country manager for New Zealand. A LEGO Group veteran, Roose has spent the last 15 years gaining a wealth of experience in sales, regional commercial development, and general management across Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand. Under his leadership, the LEGO Group’s New Zealand business unit achieved double-digit growth over the last six years. 

Meanwhile, Da Costa, as the new general manager for the SMTR business unit, brings over 17 years of invaluable experience in marketing, sales, and general management across blue-chip multinational organisations.

Her extensive track record as a strategic leader, adept at navigating both local and regional roles in diverse multi-channel environments and categories, positions her as a catalyst for innovation and growth within the business unit. She previously worked at LVMH, serving as the travel retail sales director for Moet Hennessy Travel Retail Asia Pacific Team. 

Da Costa’s appointment underscores the company’s commitment to fostering talent and driving forward-thinking initiatives, including spearheading our expansion efforts in the vibrant and dynamic travel retail category in Asia Pacific.

Speaking on her appointment, Da Costa shared, “I am thrilled to begin this new journey with the LEGO Group, leveraging my expertise in steering the Singapore, Malaysia, and Travel Retail business units and in contributing to the group’s ongoing success in this lively and rapidly evolving region. I am eager to embark on this new and exciting phase of my career, cultivating collaborative synergy within our teams and our esteemed partners as we collectively advance our mission of empowering individuals through the transformative power of play.”

In his appointment, Roose also said, “I am truly honoured and humbled to spearhead the newly established India and Emerging Asia business unit. The potential across India, Indonesia, and other countries in this part of the world is boundless, and I am eager to work closely with the team and our distributor partners to continue championing the LEGO® brand and foster immersive, high-quality play experiences for both children and adults alike.”

Both Roose and Da Costa will report directly to Claus Kristensen, senior vice president of APAC at The LEGO Group. 

Kristensen shared, “Cedric and Nina joining our APAC leadership team opens an exciting new chapter for us in Asia Pacific. Their expertise, coupled with their proven track records in driving innovation and fostering growth, support our ambition to remain at the forefront of the toy industry in the region. I am confident in their ability to lead their newly created business units as we inspire creativity, shape the future of play, and propel the LEGO Group forward in Asia Pacific.”

Singapore – MoneyHero Limited (“MoneyHero” or the “Company”), a Southeast Asia-based personal finance and digital insurance aggregation and comparison platform, has announced two significant additions to its senior corporate team. Liru Chan has been appointed as the company’s new group head of marketing, and Francois Picard has been named as MoneyHero’s new group head of operations, effective May 6, 2024. 

Chan and Picard will be based in the company’s Singaporean headquarters. 

Chan has taken on the role of group head of marketing, where she will be in charge of managing brand development and consumer marketing across MoneyHero’s operational regions and portfolio. Furthermore, she is positioned to make a substantial contribution to the company’s overall sales and customer engagement initiatives. 

Chan joins MoneyHero from Google (APAC), where she was responsible for strategy and growth for owned direct acquisition and sales enablement since 2021 as head of growth (owned user experience). Prior to working at Google, Chan had senior positions at PayPal, Edelman, and Visa, where she was head of marketing (Singapore). 

Picard’s new role as Group Head of Operations includes developing and improving the company’s operations across the organisation to support MoneyHero’s upcoming phase of growth as a publicly traded entity. 

Picard comes to MoneyHero from ShopBack, where he was the vice president of operations since 2017. In this role, Picard oversaw the advancement of ShopBack’s operational frameworks and customer service operations, leading a team of over 130 people and developing the platform in accordance with a growth strategy across 11 markets. Picard held leadership positions at Honestbee and Schneider Electric before joining ShopBack. 

Speaking about the appointments, Rohith Murthy, chief executive officer of MoneyHero, said, “On behalf of everyone at MoneyHero, I want to welcome Liru and Francois to the company. To build and support a world-class organisation, you need to attract and hire the best talent. The addition of Liru and Francois is reflective of MoneyHero’s consistent ability to do this, which is a critical component of our success and further differentiates us from our peers. With Liru spearheading our marketing strategies and Francois optimising our operations, we have strengthened two key departments with seasoned executives who will enable us to execute on our aggressive growth plans and drive shareholder value more effectively.”

Meanwhile, Chan, group head of marketing with MoneyHero, expressed, “I am thrilled to join MoneyHero at such an exciting time in the company’s history, as well as to join such an incredible team of driven, like-minded individuals. I want to thank Rohith, his leadership team, and the company’s Board of Directors for this fantastic opportunity. I am proud to represent MoneyHero’s mission to empower consumers across Greater Southeast Asia to take better control of their personal finance decisions, and I look forward to helping take this purpose-driven business to the next level.”

Speaking about his appointment, Picard stated, “It is an honour and privilege to serve as MoneyHero’s new Group Head of Operations. Rohith and his team have built an impressive organisation with a proven business model, strong growth drivers, and an impeccable reputation in the marketplace. This curated platform will play a major role in shaping the future of the digital economy in Greater Southeast Asia, and I am excited to be a valuable part of this journey.”

Singapore – Mediacorp, the Singaporean state-owned media network, has named Jacqui Lim as its new chief commercial officer to drive revenue growth and unlock new business opportunities for the company. 

With extensive experience in the media and advertising space, Lim will be instrumental in charting a roadmap for boosting revenue streams and developing a commercial strategy aligned with Mediacorp’s efforts to constantly innovate and augment its offerings for audiences and advertisers.

As the new CCO, she will lead the Commercial Group in revenue generation and client engagement, collaborating with business units and partners to provide targeted solutions across Mediacorp’s wide range of IPs and platforms.

Lim spent two decades of her career working in management and directorial roles for a number of media agency networks, like Publicis Media and Omnicom Media Group. She was most recently with Havas, where she served as the CEO of Havas Media Group and regional chief growth officer of Havas Group. 

During her tenure, the agency brands in Havas Media Group received accolades and recognition across various industry award shows.

Lim’s appointment will be effective on June 3, 2024.

Tham Loke Kheng, CEO of Mediacorp, said, “Partnerships are key to unlocking new commercial success. I believe Jacqui will bring her business and creative acumen to continue delivering innovative and targeted solutions for our clients across our wide range of content, talent, and platforms.”

Commenting on her appointment, Lim also said, “I am thrilled to join a forward-thinking company that is focused on securing its position as a leading integrated player in the competitive media landscape. I look forward to working with Team Mediacorp to deliver synergistic business results and provide the most effective, complete, and targeted solutions for our clients.”

Singapore – Customer engagement platform Twilio has named Chris Koehler as its new chief marketing officer to drive global marketing strategy. 

Koehler brings over 25 years of expertise in customer engagement and marketing technology and a proven track record of driving growth and innovation at industry-leading companies.

As the new CMO, he will oversee Twilio’s global marketing strategy, focusing on expanding brand awareness in its key markets and amplifying product innovation. He will also play a pivotal role in growing market share across Twilio Communications and Segment and driving messaging and positioning for Twilio’s customer engagement platform, which combines communications, data, and AI to unlock greater value for customers.

Koehler holds a degree in B.S. in marketing from George Mason University and an MBA from Georgia State University.

Prior to joining Twilio, he served as Box’s CMO, where he helped lead the company to surpass $1b in annual revenue in fiscal 2024. He spent more than 25 years leading marketing, customer success, solution consulting, demand generation, and enablement teams at Adobe Systems, E*TRADE Financial, SunTrust Bank, and Claritas. 

In his new role, Koehler will report directly to Twilio’s chief executive officer, Khozema Shipchandler. He joins the company’s expanded management team of recent executive hires, including Inbal Shani, chief product officer for Twilio Communications, and Thomas Wyatt, president of segment. 

Shani joined Twilio from GitHub, where she led core product management, strategy, marketing, and design as chief product officer. As the CPO for Twilio Communications, Shani is responsible for all research and development capabilities, product innovation, and resiliency and trust initiatives for the Twilio Communications business.

Meanwhile, Wyatt joined Twilio from People.ai, where he served as chief product and strategy officer. As the new president of segment, Wyatt is responsible for driving product innovation and go-to-market execution. 

Talking about the appointment, Shipchandler said, “What particularly impresses me about Chris is his no-nonsense style and hands-on approach. Chris’ strong background in product will help strengthen how we market and position our increasingly sophisticated suite of customer solutions in this next chapter of the company.” 

Also speaking about his appointment, Koehler shared, “I’ve long admired Twilio as an innovative, developer-first company, and the opportunity to help build the next generation of customer engagement is exciting.”

“Having interacted with Twilio products as a segment customer, I believe Twilio has a massive opportunity to combine its leading data capabilities with its world-class communications platform to deliver the kind of one-to-one experiences that brands have been trying to achieve for years, but few have realised,” he added. 

Australia – Adrián Flores, a global creative director, has been appointed as chief creative officer at Clemenger BBDO, marking another key milestone in the agency’s progress. The appointment will take effect on May 20, 2024. 

Taking on the opportunity, Flores is bringing his worldwide perspective of producing work to Clemenger BBDO at the nexus of brand, entertainment, and culture. 

Flores’s appointment marks the next stage in the development of Clemenger BBDO, adding to a slew of high-level hires made after CEO Dani Bassil returned to Australia in 2023 to lead the agency’s transformation. Under her direction, the agency’s strategic capabilities were extended to include connections, cultural design strategy, and customer experience (CX) with the hiring of Simon Wassef as chief strategy and experience officer. 

Additionally, the appointment of Anita Deutsch-Burley and Georgie Winton as managing partners and Anita Zanesco as chief growth officer, who is responsible for new capabilities and growth, strengthened the agency’s strategic pillars and drove the company’s growth.

After more than ten years overseas in a variety of creative leadership roles at Publicis New York and London, FCB New York, Marcel New York, and VaynerMedia, Flores returns to Australia. The NBA basketball player LeBron James and his business partner Mav Carter co-founded The SpringHill Company, which operates the brand consultancy section Robot in New York, where he most recently held a role.

Speaking about the appointment, Dani Bassil, Clemenger BBDO CEO, said, “The CCO appointment means we now have a leadership trio of Aussies – Simon, Adrián and myself – with deep experience across brand, digital and social, as well as global perspectives on the work and industry. We’re doing things differently, better, with more diversity, and challenging the status quo. That’s what these signings are about. We’re not just signalling an intention. We’re delivering on it.” 

“I have no doubt Adrián’s energy, talent, and modern way of building brands will have a huge impact on our work, clients, culture and agency. I’m ecstatic he’s coming home to join the Clems family,” Bassil added. 

Speaking about his appointment, Flores said, “Clems is iconic both at home and abroad for a reason. I’m extremely excited to be part of its next chapter alongside a truly world-class team that’s famous for making famous work.” 

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.