Tag: Appointment

Australia — Red Havas has expanded its presence in the strategic corporate communications space following the launch of a dedicated corporate affairs practice. With this, the company has named the 20-year industry veteran Matt Thomas as the new executive director of corporate affairs.

Thomas brings two decades of experience as a results-oriented, strategy-driven communications professional across the agency, consultancy, government, education, and the arts to the role. His agency background includes three years at Icon Agency, holding the position of director of public relations and content, where he grew a small team to win notable recognitionsacross the Asia Pacific.

He also holds extensive work experience in the government sector, including holding positions such as senior communications and advisory roles with Bayside City Council and Victoria’s Department of Health, as well as Department of Education and Training, Department of Sustainability and Environment, among others.

For the new role, Thomas will lead Red Havas’ corporate and recently formed public affairs teams to service clients within Red Havas and across the Havas Village. The newly created role encompasses oversight of crisis and issues management, strategic communications, corporate media relations, internal communications, stakeholder engagement, government, and investor relations thought leadership, reputation management and media training.

Simone Gupta, CEO of Havas PR Australia, said, “Thomas brings a clear strategic vision for how government and corporations approach corporate narrative, build and protect reputation. Red Havas has trusted long term relationships with clients across sectors that often look to us for this kind of counsel and strategic planning, led by Thomas this is an exciting growth area for the agency.”

On the appointment, Thomas welcomed the opportunity to help organisations navigate rapidly changing landscapes and shared his enthusiasm on his new role.

“Red Havas is a great Australian success story. From a small office in Melbourne, the brand has become a major powerhouse in the global public relations sector. I’m delighted to be joining the agency at this exciting time to build on its existing strengths in corporate and public affairs and expand this offering to meet the evolving needs of clients across business, government and the not-for-profit sectors,” Thomas said.

The introduction of the Red Havas corporate affairs offering follows the formation of the public affairs practice headed by experienced public policy and stakeholder engagement campaigner Lawrence Muskitta in December 2021, and the subsequent appointment of exceptional political and strategic communications advisor Jacqui Munro as senior account director.

Singapore – DHL, a logistics provider, has announced the appointment of Lau Tian Chen as the new head of its Asia Pacific innovation center (APIC) in Singapore. Asia Pacific Innovation Center (APIC) is a collaborative platform for customers, partners, and other innovative thinkers to showcase the latest advancements in logistics-related technology. APIC is one of four DHL innovation centers worldwide.

Chen has established himself as a skilled and flexible leader in DHL’s numerous business units over the course of the last two decades. Before joining DHL Global Forwarding in 2006, Chen worked for DHL Express Malaysia, where he was named head of commercial in 2008. He was SEA’s vice president of business development before joining fast-growing Enterprise in 2010. Later, he was in charge of the Iskandar global center of excellence in Singapore.

On his appointment Chen said, “It is an exciting time to deep dive into emerging logistics trends and engage industry partners to advance innovation in the region. We aim to simply tech buzz words like loT, digital twin, big data, and blockchain and utilize it to develop commercially viable solutions that can help businesses solve real problems and to impact lives of their customers.”

“What drives me at work every day is the talented team at APIC and the possibilities they bring to solve problems of today and the future with technology. I look forward to further deepening collaboration with my colleagues across the DHL family, and forming stronger bonds with innovation partners in the public and private sectors,” Chen adds.

Matthias Heutger, global head of innovation and commercial development at DHL, shared that the world is moving at an unprecedented rate of digital transformation, with Asia Pacific at its forefront. By 2023, IDC predicts that one in three companies in Asia Pacific will generate more than 30% of their revenues from digital products and services.”

Heutger emphasised, “Digitalization is key to the future success of businesses. We strive to propagate new technological solutions through our innovation centers and collaborate with customers, partners and thought leaders to solve complex logistics challenges and create long-term value for businesses. I believe Tian Chen’s experience, commercial focus and his devotion to mentoring colleagues will be invaluable to the APIC team.”

Hong Kong — The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong has announced the appointment of Dr. Eden Woon as its new president. Woon is a seasoned business and education leader with many years of experience serving government and NGOs. His appointment will be effective September 1 this year and will succeed Tara Joseph as president after five years in office.

Woon has excellent working experience in Hong Kong, Shanghai and the United States, and has extensive business experience in Greater China. From 2010 to 2017, Woon served as the vice-president of University Development at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. From 2006 to 2010 in Shanghai, he served successively as managing director of Li & Fung Group China Office, managing director of China Toys R Us and vice president of Starbucks Coffee Company China. Woon was the president of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce from 1997 to 2006.

Woon holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle, majoring in mathematics. Woon is also a member of the New York-based Council of Foreign Relations, a Justice of the Peace of Hong Kong, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Ballet.

Joseph Armas, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said, “We are very excited to welcome Woon back to Hong Kong to lead the Chamber. Woon’s appointment was selected through global recruitment by the Board of Directors. And the local business experience will bring positive benefits to the Chamber of Commerce and the future development of Hong Kong.”

Meanwhile, Woon commented on his appointment, sharing that he earnestly looks forward to returning to Hong Kong at this challenging time to lead the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and work together for the Chamber of Commerce and Hong Kong.

“I hope that based on my experience, I can work with the Board of Directors to promote the development of the Chamber of Commerce for its members, and The business community of this international city benefits,” Woon said.

Woon’s appointment comes at a strategic juncture for the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong as it is now one of the established chambers of commerce outside the United States and one of the major foreign chambers of commerce in Hong Kong. The Chamber of Commerce entered the core business area of ​​Central this year as a permanent venue and operated in a member community-oriented manner.

Tokyo, Japan – Advertising agency TBWA\HAKUHODO has elevated Takahiro Hosoda to the role of chief creative officer of the agency. He previously served as the agency’s executive creative director for two years.

He takes over Kazoo Sato, who will start in a new role within the TBWA\Collective, to be announced soon. In addition, through Hosoda’s new role, he will be leading a team of over 70 creatives, who share his passion and push for creative disruption.

During his work as the agency’s ECD, he was responsible for some of the agency’s impactful campaigns, such as with Nissan’s Intelligent Parking Chair and Nissan Leaf EV’s technology. He also launched the ‘Disruption® School’ in partnership with industry publication Sendenkaigi. Taka designed the annual series, first launching in 2019, to enable a younger generation of creative talent to learn, practice and evolve the creative discipline.

Speaking about his appointment, he said that they are proud of their ‘Disruption’ mantra, as it challenges them to see the unconventional and bring this thinking into the everyday. He also added that it’s now time to redirect this thinking, and that they are redefining the advertising company to become a creative experience company.

“We are a company of story, design, experience, content, business production, data creativity, and a whole range of expressions and professions that don’t even have a category name yet. No other team has such a sharp collection of creative talent – and no other corporate organisation has so many people who all believe in the value and miracle of creativity. DX, metaverse, Web 3.0; there are many exciting opportunities emerging for businesses and our focus will remain on creating innovative solutions that have a positive impact on business and society,” Hosoda said.

Meanwhile, Chris Iki, chief operating officer at TBWA\HAKUHODO, commented, “Taka is an outstanding creative leader. His unique ability to achieve a high level of collaboration across his teams and client partners helps drive new innovations to meet the needs of changing consumer behaviours. As a result, our clients and agency were in a stronger position to successfully respond to the once in a generation shift brought on by the pandemic.”

He added, “Creativity is an imperative business tool and we’re fortunate TBWA\HAKUHODO has an incredible depth of creative leadership across the board. They’re not only highly awarded, but champions of change, inspiring and motivating their teams to always succeed.”

India – DDB Mudra Group has announced the appointment of Anand Murty as the national strategy head for DDB Mudra and Mehak Jaini as the national strategy head for 22feet Tribal Worldwide. They will lead the group’s promise of a cohesive view across advertising, digital marketing and media. 

The company’s unique structure offers strategists an opportunity to define and track the complete consumer journey. Their teams will match the principles of brand planning – a deep grasp of culture and consumers – with the demands of digital transformation for some of India’s most respected and fastest-growing growing firms.

On her appointment, Murty said, that it is an absolute privilege to lead the strategy team at DDB Mudra and build the network’s strategic product with a partner like Mehak. 

“The agenda is to continue to build a team that helps drive growth for our clients and partners with creative to deliver on Unexpected Works – on repeat. I look forward to continuing the momentum on DDB’s effectiveness charter and the deep work on insights and culture that has enabled us to build some solid work across our vast and diverse client portfolio,” Murty adds.

Jaini shared that she is looking forward to redefining what strategy she can do for creative agencies.

Jaini emphasised, “The timing couldn’t be better. With traditional business experimenting with their digital presence, and digitally native brands challenging what qualifies as marketing – be it exclusive experiences, metaverse extensions, or NFTs; an integrated strategy agenda like ours ensures no client is left behind.”

“And with Anand’s team of brand & communication strategists, and 22feet’s specialist teams of digital evangelists, technologists, brand and business analysts, SEO & listening experts, data nerds and media mavericks, the full funnel wins are ripe for reaping,” She added.

Meanwhile, Aditya Kanthy, CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group, commented, “We’re so excited about Anand and Mehak taking charge of the strategy department at the Group. They are the key to the kind of success we want to create for our people and clients.”

“From brilliant creative work and beautiful, seamless experiences through to measured and disproportionate brand and business growth – the strategists are at the heart of the action here.  While one part of the task is to bring changes to the ways of traditional marketers, equally, they will help bring the basics of brand building and consumer thinking to help set a foundation for long-term sustainable growth for digitally forward companies,” Kanthy underscored. 

Murty and Jaini are also part of DDB Worldwide’s Global Strategic Council that brings together the best and brightest of the network’s strategy leaders. 

San Francisco, USA – Creative consultancy agency InGoodTaste has announced the appointment of Ryan Lindholm as the new chief executive officer. Lindholm formerly worked for Nike as the global brand director of advanced concepts. His previous experience also includes working for AKQA, Dentsu, Razorfish, Havas, JWT, and DDB. 

On his appointment, Lindholm said that since the beginning of his first agency role over 20 years ago, he has been developing a point of view on how the creative model can evolve to better serve the ambition of business leaders.

“We’ve jump-started a new kind of creative approach; we look for innovative solutions that give the C suite the courage and support to make dramatic changes in their business. We do that with Grey Space thinking–our method of finding solutions in the spaces between obvious or black-and-white answers,” Lindholm adds.

Mark Riedy, co-founder and COO of InGoodTaste, shared that before meeting Ryan, he’s been happily growing his own agency for 15 years.

Riedy added, “The opportunity to partner with an experienced leader and unique thinker like Ryan was absolutely a once-in-a-career chance and I jumped at it. In the past year we’ve built an outstanding team and have already engaged with incredible clients like 24 Hour Fitness, Spot Insurance, Canyon and Sustainable Ocean Alliance among many others.”

Hong Kong — The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) has announced Adeline Ee as its new managing director, and head of sales and marketing for ASEAN. Ee will report to Christina Bao and Kevin Rideout, HKEX’s co-heads of sales and marketing.

Based in Singapore, Ee will head up HKEX’s Singapore office and will be responsible for leading the expansion of HKEX’s business across Southeast Asia, adding new clients and flows whilst further elevating the Group’s profile across the region. Ee will work alongside Roger McAvoy, who will transition to a new international client-facing role within the group.

Ee joins HKEX from Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX), where she has worked for nearly two decades in various senior sales and product management roles.

Ee was most recently global head of sales, equities and fixed-income, currencies and commodities for SGX, a role she has held since 2019, where she oversaw the successful launch of a number of flagship products. She was previously head of SGX’s Hong Kong office, as well as head of sales for the Asia Pacific and the Middle East, among other roles, having joined SGX in 2003. Ee has a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Social Science degree from the National University of Singapore.

Nicolas Aguzin, chief executive officer of HKEX, said, “I am delighted to welcome Adeline to HKEX. She brings with her substantial capital markets experience and deep knowledge of the region. This makes her perfectly suited to help take our franchise in Southeast Asia to the next level as we continue to build HKEX into Asia’s risk management centre. We are looking forward to welcoming Adeline to the HKEX team.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Lionsgate Play, the premium streaming service platform of Lionsgate-owned STARZ, has announced the appointment of Phait Lee Wong as general manager of Malaysia. Wong will be based in Kuala Lumpur and will be reporting directly to Amit Dhanuka, executive vice president of Lionsgate.

She holds an extensive understanding of business and strategy with over 20 years of experience. Wong will be responsible for operations and management of the Lionsgate Play arm in Malaysia, developing local leadership and teams to support core functions like brand building, strategic innovation and business growth.

Wong began her career in capital markets in the financial and banking sector. In the media sector, she led a range of projects, including international ventures, media property investments, and mergers and acquisitions across multiple markets for Malaysian satellite television provider Astro. Wong conceptualised and developed Astro over-the-top (OTT) service – sooka – targeting Malaysian millennials and sports fans. She also had a key role in partnership deals and successfully launched Maxis TV in December 2021.

Commenting on her appointment, Wong says she is looking forward to bringing her experience and vision to the table and she is thrilled to join the Lionsgate Play team at an exciting stage of its growth in the country.

“Malaysia is a vibrant OTT market with great opportunities for Lionsgate Play to tap into evolving consumer behaviour and their appetite for customisable, on-demand entertainment. I am confident of building the Lionsgate Play brand here and look forward to bringing exclusive, interesting and unique content to a wider Malaysian audience,” Wong said.

Rohit Jain, managing director, networks of Lionsgate emerging markets in Asia, said, “Demand for SVoD services in Malaysia is expected to double in the coming years, and we are positioning ourselves for business growth opportunities. Under the able guidance of Amit Dhanuka, Phait’s wide-ranging experience and stellar vision will be the foundation for us to take Lionsgate Play to new heights as we create long term value for our stakeholders.”

Simultaneously, Dhanuka commented, “We are aggressively gearing up our team in Malaysia following Lionsgate Play’s recent foray into the country in October 2021. Wong’s strategic approach for the brand and app will help us reach newer avenues of growth as we drive momentum for our business here. I look forward to working with Wong to amplify our vision in the market with her expertise and knowledge.”

Australia  –  Australia-based marketing and communication agency Bastion has announced the appointment of two senior leaders as the company enters a new phase of growth. Bastion Creative welcomes Angela Morris as national chief strategy officer and Ana Lynch as Sydney managing partner.

Morris has over 20 years of global expertise in brand consulting, advertising, behavior change, and innovation, making her one of the industry’s most well-credentialed strategists. She has served on the Effies governing committee, the communications council board, and the APG as chair. Before joining Bastion, Morris was the national chief strategy officer at Wunderman Thompson 

Meanwhile, Lynch is known for her tenacity and passion for delivering award-winning work that has a positive influence on culture and business growth. She was also a partner at Wunderman Thompson, where she was in charge of the network’s top-paying paying multi-national and domestic clients. Lynch has led large client partnerships at some of Australia’s most well-known creative agencies, including Vodafone, Kellogg’s, Mars, P&G, J&J, Subway, Unilever, Nestlé, Federal and State Governments, and Not-for-profits.

On her appointment, Lynch said, “As I got to know Bastion it became clear they are a progressive independent network, that has serious momentum in their mission to forge an alternate path ahead. I am thrilled to be joining the team at such a pivotal time.” 

Morris emphasised, “I think the Bastion model is really interesting because it delivers the specialisms clients need today, including data intelligence, in an interconnected way that they can’t readily access elsewhere. This enables cross-discipline thinking and the delivery of more connected and compelling brand experiences.”

Mike Godwin, chief executive officer at Bastion Creative, shared, “As Australasia’s largest independent agency, our Australian creative team combined with our New Zealand-based creative offering Bastion Shine is now over 100 staff. We work collaboratively with the wider global Bastion Agency group, providing clients 300 of the market’s best experts across a unique breadth of disciplines.

“Ange and Ana bring the perfect balance of humanity and ambition to the leadership team and I’m excited about the ways they will help us build our clients’ brands and businesses going forward,” Godwin adds.

Meanwhile, Jack Watts, chief executive officer at Bastion Global, commented, “We are building the new world Agency here at Bastion, where clients can access wide thinking across the breadth of communications disciplines, delivered by specialists with deep expertise. It is a joy to add two absolute experts in their craft and all-round good people in Ana and Ange to our senior team.”

Singapore — Conversational advertising cloud Cavai has announced the appointment of Jonathan Pacey as commercial director of Asia Pacific. The appointment comes along with the significant growth of Cavai’s presence in APAC, with business expanding across the region and as it enjoys growing numbers of productive partnerships with both agencies and publishers.

Pacey holds an extensive understanding of the commercial industry with a career spanning two decades of experience. Prior to joining Cavai, he was previously the sales director at mobile-first advertising company, Kargo. He was also senior strategic advisor at discovery and native advertising platform, Taboola, and held the position of head of brands and agencies at web recommendation platform, Outbrain. Pacey also worked at the established media companies, namely News Corp Australia and Fairfax Media.

Pacey shared his thoughts on his appointment, commenting,  “I’m delighted to head up Cavai’s commercial efforts in the region. This is a truly forward-thinking company, and I join at a time when privacy-by-design and conversational ad solutions are being recognised by growing numbers globally. Last year saw every major market in Asia running conversational ads with Cavai in some shape or form and Cavai will also be opening an office in Australia this year, following strong demand from the market.”

Lars Bjoerge, commercial director of Cavai APAC, shares, “We are delighted to welcome Jonathan to our expanding team in APAC. A highly experienced commercial director, he is genuinely passionate about digital innovation and well versed in creating and maintaining long-lasting partner relationships. His determination and depth of knowledge stand us in great stead in this critically important region.”

This news follows the announcement that Cavai has raised over £6.5m to drive significant international expansion.