Tag: Appointment

United Kingdom – Patrick Béhar has been appointed as the new global CEO of Kantar Media, a division of Kantar Group Holdings,which will take effect in September 2023. He will be in charge of a company that conducts media research and audience measurement on a global scale in this capacity.

Chris Allen, who led the executive team since 2022, will now focus exclusively on his role as global CFO of Kantar Media.

Béhar has 25 years of experience in the media industry, is the chief business officer of Sky Group, a media company and pay-TV broadcaster in Europe and a Comcast subsidiary. In this role, Béhar has been in charge of managing and improving Sky’s partnerships with content and distribution partners, as well as playing a role in increasing Sky Media’s advertising revenue.

Speaking about his appointment, Béhar said, “Media markets are undergoing unprecedented transformation, accelerated by new technologies and changing audience behaviours. With the widest and most rapidly expanding cross-media audience measurement footprint, Kantar Media is at the forefront of this transformation, uniquely positioned to unlock audiences and drive growth and value for clients.” 

He added, “I’m looking forward to leading this amazingly talented team, working closely with the board, our Chairman Adam Crozier and Chris Jansen, Chief Executive at parent company, Kantar Group.”

Meanwhile, Adam Crozier, chairman of Kantar Media, remarked, “Patrick brings a unique combination of first-hand client experience in equipping media companies to grow in a cross-media age and deep global advertising expertise.” 

“His appointment will strengthen the Kantar Media leadership team.  As we continue to drive our innovation agenda forward, I am confident he will fulfil the ambition we have for the business to cement its position, unlocking insight opportunities for our clients,” Crozier added. 

Hong Kong – Global media agency iProspect Hong Kong has been appointed by KFC, Pizza Hut and PHD, the food brands under Jardine Restaurant Group as their official media partner to spearhead their communication strategies.

The agency’s appointment comes as KFC, Pizza Hut, and PHD continue to stand by their shared objective of strengthening their e-commerce, dine-in, and takeaway businesses. 

The household food brands aim to grow their e-commerce effectively as an answer to the need to transform and evolve with time and current trends. 

iProspect will offer a comprehensive communication strategy that can seamlessly connect top, middle, and lower funnel initiatives to unlock the full potential of media investments and deliver tangible online and offline business results.

With their resources, they are expected to solve the brands’ common challenge of reinforcing connections from upper to lower funnels as a way to optimize media efficiency and ultimately reflect on their return on investment (ROI). 

Wai-Chung Au, managing director of media business at iProspect Hong Kong, said, “We are proud to become the trusted media partner for the three iconic names. We look forward to working with them and achieving their vision effectively.”

Commenting on the appointment, Renee Chan, customer experience and marketing director at Pizza Hut and PHD, also said, “We are excited to work with iProspect Hong Kong. iProspect has demonstrated a strong strategic point of view that helped to realize our vision and business goals, not to mention proactively providing solutions and recommendations that go beyond our scope and helped to innovate and optimize our effectiveness.”

Janet Lau, marketing director at KFC, further shared,  “We are looking forward to working with iProspect Hong Kong to optimize our e-commerce business. In this era of constant change and transformation, we need to tighten up our O2O communication strategy to offer truly seamless experience for consumers constantly. We believe iProspect can offer the solution to us.”

Sydney, Australia – Brand and digital studio Koto has officially marked its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region with the launch of its Sydney office. The studio also announced the appointment of two new seasoned executives, Damian Borchok as managing director and Gerald Torto as senior strategy director. 

The new appointees will be leading the new office and regional efforts in APAC, with a senior creative leader expected to join them in the next few months. 

Koto’s initial focus will be on expanding its presence in Australia, India, Singapore, and South Korea. This strategic move reflects Koto’s continuous growth as a brand and digital studio spanning the EU, US, and now APAC.

While Koto’s local footprint was absent until now, it has already engaged with several APAC enterprises, including Australian-founded Airtasker, a service marketplace; Zip, a buy-now-pay-later fintech; Gumtree, an online classifieds and community site acquired by eBay, operating in Australia and New Zealand; and Korean-based Need, a digital cancer protection system.

The studio’s momentum has grown steadily, recently delivering impactful projects for global brands such as Airbnb, Amazon Music, Discord, Glassdoor, Netflix, and Whatsapp. 

It is dedicated to building optimistic brands that are true, compelling, and distinctive and continues to leverage deep immersion and strategic thinking as the foundation for ensuring relevance and creative excellence in every project it undertakes.

And as they started their move to expand in APAC, Koto’s strategic move was bolstered by an accomplished leadership team with a standout local track record.

Prior to his appointment as managing director for APAC, Borchok held key positions at Interbrand and Landor Australian outposts before launching his boutique studio, For The People. He has over two decades of APAC experience and carries with him a portfolio of prominent brands like Culture Amp (Australia), TIMEdotCom (Malaysia), and the iconic Sydney Opera House.

Meanwhile, Torto, in his new role as senior strategy director for APAC, brings a distinctive blend of brand strategy and business expertise. He formerly served as a strategy director for Re, a part of the M&C Saatchi Group. 

He was able to establish a new practice within Re dedicated to delivering brand services to APAC tech scale-ups, amassing an impressive client portfolio including Australian brands Weel, Mr Yum, Channel 7, and more.

Koto also teased a third leader, well-versed in regional dynamics, who will soon join the leadership team as executive creative director. 

James Greenfield, CEO at Koto, explained, “After launching our second US studio in New York just over a year ago, it felt right to set our sights on the APAC region. We’ve worked with a number of APAC clients in recent years, and we can see the potential here is immense, with thriving economies and leaders aiming to make their brands global forces. I’ve always believed APAC brands hold untapped possibilities to display their identity, differentiation, and strategic growth.” 

He added, “Exceptional brands shouldn’t be limited to the US – there are a lot of interesting products and services in APAC. Koto steps in with Damian, G, and our upcoming Executive Creative Director, soon to be unveiled. Together, they’re the dream team writing this next chapter with us.”

Also speaking on the expansion, Borchok said, “Sooner rather than later Asia will be home to 3 of the 5 largest economies in the world. Brands from this region will have global impact like never before. While there are internationally networked branding agencies across APAC, few are yet to bring much of a sense of dynamism, vision, or ambition. The region deserves to see more brands that elevate Asia’s growing status and influence—commercially and culturally.”

“Koto was born out of the technology and innovation world. Our work is informed by the entrepreneurial drive to build something better. In our case, it’s brands. We’re looking forward to partnering with like-minded businesses and contributing to the exciting times ahead in Asia and the Pacific,” he further explained. 

On the appointment, Torto also shared, “I’m really excited to be contributing to Koto’s vision of building the world’s most iconic brands in the world’s most iconic places. The opening of a studio in Sydney to service the region is a real signal of intent and too good an opportunity to miss. For me, there’s an unmatched optimism and pragmatism to the way the business goes about its work, and that drives an approach to brand strategy and verbal (as well as visual) identity that I feel can make a real difference to the ambitious businesses across APAC.”

Australia – Clemenger BBDO, an Australian creative company, has announced the appointment of Simon Wassef as chief strategy and experience officer to expand the agency’s existing CX capabilities and offering. 

In his new senior leadership role, Wassef will lead strategy and customer experience across the Clemenger business, and the remit will include growth, new business, elevation of talent, and new practices.

Wassef is back at Clemenger after having first worked at the company 21 years ago as a junior account planner. He joins the agency after more than two and a half years as national chief strategy officer at whiteGREY. Prior to that, he also served as chief strategy officer at TBWA\Chiat\Day in Los Angeles. 

He brings with him a wealth of experience, which includes more than 20 years working in Europe, the US, and Australia: three years at R/GA in London, three years at SID LEE in Amsterdam, plus stints at Droga5, AMV BBDO, AKQA, and Host Sydney. 

Furthermore, Wassef has worked across leading international and Australian brands, including IKEA, Qantas, adidas, Absolut, Samsung, HSBC, Red Bull, Electronic Arts, Guinness, Google, Johnnie Walker, Volvo, Panadol, Westfield, Nike, and Beats By Dre.

Aside from his expanded portfolio, Wassef is also multi-awarded, having won the Grand EFFIE, APG UK Gold, Jay Chiat Gold, and David Ogilvy Gold. He serves on the AdCouncil DE&I Committee, judges Creative Strategy for AWARD, and teaches Advanced Strategy for AdSchool.

Dani Bassil, CEO at Clemenger BBDO, shared that she is thrilled to have Wassef on board.

She said, “Simon really is one of the best in the business; if not the best. He’s worked everywhere I’ve ever wanted to work, R/GA London, Sid Lee Amsterdam, and ChiatDay LA. The fact he’s bringing all this experience to Clemenger is a game changer for us. The experience is the brand, and the fact he is so expert in both realms is exactly what we’ve needed in this leadership role. Besides being one of the smartest people I’ve met, he’s funny and kind. And he’s finally coming back to Clems. I’m so excited.”

Of his new appointment, Wassef said, “When Clemenger calls, you have to answer. Let’s go.”

Wassef’s appointment at Clemenger BBDO follows the recent appointments of Anita Zanesco to the newly created role of chief growth officer and two managing partners, Georgie Winton and Anita Deutsch.

New York, USA – Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group has announced the appointment of OMG EMEA CEO Guy Marks as CEO of PHD Worldwide. He will be replacing Philippa Brown, who will step down from the role after almost 5 years of handling it. 

In his new role effective October 1, Marks will be headquartered in London and will be reporting to OMG global CEO Florian Adamski. His successor as leader of OMG EMEA is expected to be named in the following week.

Marks joined OMG in 2014 following Omnicom’s acquisition of Mobile5, the global UX, design and tech consultancy service that he co-founded. As CEO of OMG EMEA, he helped establish Omnicom’s Transact connected commerce and retail media consultancy in the region; and co-architected the expansion of OMG’s TRKKN analytics and cloud consultancy from five European countries to 20 markets across APAC, EMEA and North America.

Speaking on his own appointment, Marks said, “As the CEO of PHD – an agency that was born from a transformative concept of media as a strategic tool – my priority will be assuring that every PHD account team around the world have the talent, tools, technology and collective commitment to excellence they need to deliver the transformative ideas, solutions and service that drive growth for our clients, our agency, and our people.”

Meanwhile, Adamski commented, “Guy is one of our industry’s most entrepreneurial leaders, with an approach that transformed first OMD’s and subsequently Omnicom Media Group’s offering in EMEA over the past six years. The fact that – at the same time – he was also one of the network’s key people coordinating Omnicom’s boots-on-the-ground Ukrainian relief and rescue efforts tells you everything you need to know about both his character and his leadership skills.”

Philippines – Esports and technology company Mineski Global has announced the appointment of Jamie Paraso as its new vice president for marketing under the TEG Group of Companies, in line with revealing its bold branding and marketing transformation. 

In his new role, Paraso looks to provide critical insights and experience from his years in the marketing industry. He brings with him management expertise to jumpstart Mineski Global’s foothold in the local marketing space. 

Prior to his appointment, he served as the country director for Gushcloud Philippines, where he led Gushcloud’s local presence in business, talent, and partner acquisition. 

According to Paraso, his former role allowed him to forge healthy relationships with talents, brands, and agency partners, thereby leveraging strategy, expertise, and creative know-how and creating a healthy ecosystem for the marketing and entertainment space—skills relevant to his new appointment at TEG and Mineski Global. 

“With my previous role as Country Director, it allowed me to have a purview of what happens not just at a country level but also at a regional level when operating and running an entertainment and talent focused business. In doing so, I am able to transplant said experience and know-how to TEG and Mineski Global at both a local and regional level to ensure that for the years to come we are able to further scale our business as the pioneer Esports company of Southeast Asia and innovate by our Marketing le technology pieces,” Paraso told MARKETECH APAC. 

Aside from this, he was also the head of global marketing services for Groworx, where he was in charge of corporate communications and brand marketing, and was the business group director of McCann Worldgroup, a global marketing and communications agency, handling the legacy account, San Miguel. 

Paraso also held the key post of leading the sales team for AdSpark, a wholly-owned Globe subsidiary, as business group director, managing key clients such as VIVO, FWD, Nestle, BDO, Midea, P&G, Hyundai, Mondelez, and J&J.

Paraso’s appointment comes as Mineski Global takes key steps toward strengthening its corporate brand and bolstering its roster of products and services. 

Mineski Global aims to further its relationships in the B2B space all the while staying true to its service-oriented core of being attuned to the B2C market and gamifying experiences every step of the way.

With its beginnings as a professional esports team, the Mineski brand has demonstrated growth and resilience by taking its core capabilities and adapting them to the emerging needs of a highly digital consumer landscape.

And as it approaches its 20th anniversary in 2024, the company draws from its years of experience in the esports and technology industries, curating a roster of IPs and products that push the limits of integrated marketing technology, fondly known as “Mark-tech”, whereby value and entertainment are continuously provided to the greater community. 

In line with this, Mineski Global has also announced that they have joined the marketing organizations IMMAP (Internet & Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines) and PANA (Philippine Association of National Advertisers). 

In joining these associations, the company aims to share its knowledge and expertise in tech and gaming while forging strong and meaningful connections with various industry players.

Ronald K. Robins, group CEO and chairperson of Mineski Global, said, “We are excited to have Jamie on board with Mineski. His expertise in brand, product marketing and management are essential to the company’s new direction, strengthening our product offerings while tying into our expertise in tech, innovations, and community-based services. All of this centered on bringing our brand, Mineski Global, to the next level and embracing positive growth and meaningful transformations. We at Mineski Global believe he will be a great asset to the organization and to the industry.”

Also commenting on the appointment, Dar Andrew Cayabyab, co-founder and director for international business at Mineski Global, shared, “With Jamie being part of Mineski Global, we look forward to being able to strengthen our brand presence not just locally but also at a global scale. As we begin to work closer with brands that are non-endemic to our core of Esports and Gaming we look to be able to integrate our experience and create impactful campaigns, products and services that cut across industries.” 

Meanwhile, Paraso said in his new appointment, “I am honored to be part of Mineski’s initiative to grow and scale its brand and marketing capabilities. There is great potential in combining the company’s expertise with best practices and strategies in marketing. Leveraging our expertise and technological capabilities brings a very unique proposition that is yet to be owned in the Brand and Marketing space locally. In doing so this allows us to bring out the best in our services and capabilities to assist our Partners, Clients and most importantly better serve end consumers.” 

When asked about what are the current marketing challenges and opportunities in the esports scene, Paraso told MARKETECH APAC that they were able to better serve their B2B partners by bringing value and added gamification in all aspects of the industry.

“With Mineski Global having been around for almost 2 decades, we look to be able to scale our services in the esports space, leveraging on our new knowledge and know-how in terms of technology and marketing strategies. We are always evolving, all the while remaining humble and staying hungry to provide value every step of the way,” he concluded.

Sydney, Australia – Global entertainment company VA Media has appointed Organic Pacific and Havas to support its ambitions to grow within the APAC region and internationally. 

Organic Pacific and Havas’ area of responsibility includes the development of a global strategy, international brand profiling, and an industry event approach for VA Media. 

The win for the Havas-owned agencies is another in a string of recent wins for the Group.

VA Media is an Australian-based, ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) network and an enterprise partner of YouTube in the APAC region. Its flagship YouTube channels include Movie Central, True Crime Central, Horror Central, We Are Pride, and Documentary Central.

Partnering with leading studios, major film companies, and distribution businesses, VA Media connects content creators with audiences to monetise their content across YouTube, Facebook, SNAP and other AVOD streaming platforms. 

The agency appointments follow a series of high-profile internal hires, with Isabella Ronzel, previously working as network partnerships manager at News Corp Australia, now joining as head of brand marketing and commercial partnerships. Kristen Bedno was also onboarded as the head of content partnerships  and acquisitions for North America in March this year to expand the footprint in the US. Lastly, Hannah Barnes, a former Foxtel executive who joined in 2021 as Director of Unscripted, is now also managing VA’s newly created original production arm. 

Mark Ashbridge, CEO at VA Media, said, “VA Media works side by side with the best creative talent to create, curate and optimise great content, achieving proven and quantifiable results. We’re excited to appoint Organic and the Havas Network to assist our ambitious growth plans and inform the industry about VA Media in the Asia Pacific region and globally.”  

Meanwhile, Annabelle Gigliotti, managing partner at Organic Pacific, said, “VA Media is enjoying exceptional success in the evolving AVOD landscape and team Organic are looking forward to working with VA Media on promoting its global brands. This space is growing exponentially and with watch-time hours on owned and operated channels of over 270 million hours in the last 365 days, equal to over 30,000 years of content consumption, the opportunities are endless.”

Singapore – In a slew of leadership appointments to expand their presence in APAC, advertising agency OMD has added a head of digital to its Asia Pacific regional leadership team with the hiring of Dileep Raj Singh.

As head of digital, Singh will be accelerating OMD’s digital leadership agenda, rooted in helping clients address their business challenges and digital ambitions. He will be supporting OMD’s local teams in APAC on operational excellence,as well as its digital transformation frameworks and roadmaps.

Singh is a digital native and brings with him a wealth of experience across product, media agency and client side in APAC, North America and the United Kingdom. His last 10 years have been spent building diverse digital marketing teams covering areas like performance marketing, digital media planning, ad/martech, product marketing, branding and measurement.

Speaking on his own appointment, Singh said, “ As we embark on this journey, I want to leverage the strength of the OMD network – people, technology, data, tools and platforms – to help our clients pivot and navigate through all the new and evolved possibilities in digital media. With this, I aim to position OMD as an unrivaled partner for our current and future clients; to dominate and succeed in this incredibly competitive and multifarious digital realm.”

Meanwhile, Charlotte Lee, CEO of OMD APAC, commented, “It is our global ambition to continue our leadership position in digital, data and technology. In line with this ambition, we are excited to have Singh come on board the OMD APAC leadership team. His background of agency, in-house and start-up experience position him perfectly to understand and address our clients’ business needs.”

Singh will be reporting to Lee, and will be working with chief strategy officer, David McCallen, who were both appointed in 2022, and chief client officer, Sadhan Mishra who was appointed in June 2023, to drive and support APAC local markets as well as regional clients on digital, data and technology needs.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia –  Dentsu Malaysia has announced the appointment of Audrey Chong as its new CEO effective October 1, 2023. Chong will be taking over from Kien Eng Tan who will be retiring after having served as CEO since February 2021.

Previously having been the CEO of Universal McCann Malaysia, Chong brings 25 years of industry experience across media, creative, strategy and digital marketing with in-depth understanding and expertise of the Malaysian market. 

In her role, she will be responsible for growing and continuing the business transformation journey whilst driving integration across practices. Her perspective on building an agency model that delivers on clients’ needs will see new opportunities and growth.

Speaking on her own appointment, Chong said, “I look forward to joining dentsu Malaysia and foresee exciting times ahead. I strongly believe in dentsu’s strategy and the direction they are moving in, with new products, integrated servicing, and innovation to meet the market’s needs. They have strong momentum off the back of some significant market wins, and I believe Dentsu is poised to break away from the pack and build new growth and industry opportunities. 

Sanjay Bhasin, CEO of dentsu Southeast Asia commented, “I really wanted a hands-on practitioner who understood the market challenges and nuances; someone who could build upon the wins and momentum Kien and his team have created which have mostly been large local giants requiring deep understanding of the dynamic Malaysian market. Audrey’s reputation speaks for itself. She’s built a solid media agency now ranked number one in RECMA. She has a competitive skill set that will drive the business to new heights and is also a warm, intelligent, caring person who will make a great addition to our strong local Malaysian agency and our Southeast Asia leadership team.”

Meanwhile, Kien Eng Tan, outgoing CEO of dentsu Malaysia, said, “I’ve had an incredible journey with dentsu Malaysia and I’m happy to have spent my time here in the last few years of my agency career. I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity I have had to lead such a talented and creative team and I am confident that the spirit of innovation and passion for creativity will continue to thrive. The industry is fast changing, and I eagerly look forward to seeing great campaigns under the guidance of our new leadership.”

India – Snap Inc., a technology and social media company, has announced the appointment of Pulkit Trivedi as its new managing director to handle the company’s operations in India. 

In his new role, Trivedi will report directly to Ajit Mohan, APAC president at Snap Inc. He will be responsible for leading the organisation’s Indian operations, including driving revenue, supporting partners, and nurturing the creator ecosystem. 

Meanwhile, under the new operational structure, the growth, market development, partnerships, content, and creator ecosystem teams will report directly to Trivedi. 

This new, highly localised structure reinforces Snap’s commitment to India to further build unique experiences for the company’s growing user community.

Trivedi brings with him over 23 years of experience working for top technology companies like Meta and Google in India. 

Prior to his new appointment, Trivedi served as the director of Google Pay’s India business team. He spent the past five years as part of the leadership team,  where he was responsible for building strategic plans for the business, forging key partnerships, and leading the monetisation agenda for Google Pay in India. 

Ajit Mohan said, “Pulkit’s deep expertise in building and scaling businesses and finding ways to drive outsized growth for partners will enable us to continue delighting our surging community of over 200 million Snapchatters in India.”

He added, “Unifying our local teams under this new structure will set the right stage for making accelerated investments in India and enable us to further fuel the growth of our community and partners.”

On his appointment, Trivedi shared, “Snap has a reputation for being a true innovator and has built a thriving community in India with a product that has connected with so many young Indians.”

“India is one of the world’s fastest-growing internet economies, giving  Snap an exceptional opportunity to actively contribute to the expansion of our community and businesses,” he added.