Tag: Appointments

Hong Kong – Hong Kong-based telecommunications and technology services provider, HKBN Group, has appointed William Ho, former managing director at AI networking company Juniper Networks, to be the new CEO of Enterprise Solutions.

In his new role, Ho will be leading HKBN’s enterprise services arm, expanding and leveraging its system integration capabilities, and further consolidating and developing the blue ocean business growth strategy across Hong Kong and Mainland China.

With nearly 30 years of professional experience in the ICT industry, Ho brings many holistic dimensions having been a customer-side user and a service provider, covering network technology, internet, cloud, and big data, as well as e-commerce, amongst others. He is amongst the few senior executives with a broad range of experiences in technology R&D, sales and marketing, and business development. Aside from his previous role at Juniper Networks, Ho has also held senior executive positions at local and international companies, including Cohesity, ARRIS, Cisco, and Hong Kong Jockey Club, amongst others.

Commenting on his appointment, Ho said, “In a dynamic evolving business landscape, HKBN’s Talent-Obsession culture uniquely empowers our talents to embrace changes and do everything to help our enterprise customers to foster their digital transformation and gain their competitive edge rather than merely save money. I am thrilled to have my skin in the game as a co-owner and to achieve our goals together with our Elite Sports Team.”

Meanwhile, William Yeung and NiQ Lai, HKBN’s co-owners, said that Ho is putting his skin in the game by investing an amount equivalent to 2 years’ salary into their co-ownership scheme. 

“With William leading HKBN Enterprise Solutions, our goal is to bring digital solutions that go beyond connectivity services to our 110K corporate customers, fortifying our customer relationship, driving efficiency and business impact in Hong Kong and across mainland China, especially the Greater Bay Area. We welcome William to our Elite Sports Team,” they added.

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam – Omnicom Media Group (OMG) in Vietnam has announced key appointments to bolster its local core leadership team. They include Trang Tran as head of transformation, Hoang Nguyen as planning director, Uyen Nguyen Diep as strategy director, and San Nguyen as associate planning director.

These appointments are aligned with the agency’s focus on delivering top-notch strategic planning and innovation services to drive accelerated growth for clients’ businesses. In addition, they also follow a slate of new business wins for the agency such as Chanel, Sanofi, Asia Foods, along with the retention of Beiersdorf and Vinamilk.

With more than 14 years of experience, Tran was promoted from his role of business director. Prior to joining OMG, he held various EMEA regional roles at OMD and PHD, working alongside global brands from multiple sectors such as Hewlett Packard, Bethesda, and SC Johnson.

In his new role, Tran will be tasked with simplifying OMG’s operational processes to meet clients’ changing needs, helping them achieve business growth, and driving their digital transformation ambitions.

Meanwhile, Nguyen has previously held media planning roles in Wavemaker, GroupM, and Saatchi & Saatchi, serving a diverse range of clients including Masan, Nestle, Perfetti, and Samsung. His familiarity with the Vietnam market, on top of his knowledge and media planning capabilities, will see him lead an empowering team to serve clients more efficiently.

Diep was previously an associate director at Mindshare, where she has worked alongside Unilever, where she oversees the strategic planning, content, and commerce portfolio for 14 brands across fabric detergent, skin cleaning, and skincare categories. In her new role, she will be responsible for optimising planning strategy powered by the agency’s data platform, OMNI, and driving innovative marketing solutions for clients.

Lastly, San Nguyen has nine years of experience and has seen her working with prominent brands, including L’Oreal, Coca Cola, and Kimberly Clark.

All four new appointees will report directly to Julien Courant, chief operating officer at Omnicom Media Group Vietnam.

Speaking on the new appointments, Courant said, “The pandemic has accelerated the speed of change for the media industry and disrupted the industry on all fronts, especially retaining top talents in Vietnam. Despite the challenges, we remain steadfast in this endemic period, as we believe the key to this success is our commitment to investing in our people and capabilities. With the new core leadership team in place, we are positioned to drive new levels of business growth and help our clients’ transformative journey in this ever-changing digital landscape.”

Meanwhile, Tony Harradine, CEO of Omnicom Media Group APAC, shared, “As one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is constantly evolving in step with its digital and e-commerce growth. With the combined capabilities of the new core leadership team, we are committed to providing clients with the best-in-market expertise and partnering with them to grow their business in this dynamic business landscape.”

Singapore – Global brand experience agency Jack Morton has appointed Phil Boyle, former vice president of marketing partnerships for Asia at Live Nation, to be its new SVP, managing director for Asia.

In his new role, Boyle will be moving to Singapore and championing innovative brand experience work for clients, including Unilever, Meta, Riot Games, and HSBC, amongst others. He will also continue to promote collaboration across IPG agencies in the market.

Aside from his recent stint at Live Nation, Boyle has also previously held a leadership role at Jack Morton in Shanghai as SVP, client services for Asia, working across multiple industries from automotive to entertainment.

Commenting on his appointment, Boyle said, “Extraordinary work that makes people think, feel, and act excites me. I’m incredibly passionate about it, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the experience game. Returning to Jack Morton feels like I’m coming home. The team and agency culture is exceptional, and I’m thrilled to once again be a part of their epic journey to reimagine what a brand experience can be.”

Meanwhile, Julian Pullan, Jack Morton’s vice chairman and president for international, shared that the marketplace in Asia has faced unprecedented challenges over the last couple of years, so helping brands navigate the landscape and find the best channels to reach their audiences is critical right now. 

“Phil is the right leader to help guide our clients and teams. He understands the nuances of all the local markets – from China to Southeast Asia – and has the breadth of expertise and the strategic vision to drive growth. Not to mention that he’s a team player who embodies our core values of passion, agility, and respect at every turn,” said Pullan.

Auckland, New Zealand – Creative agency Colenso BBDO has announced the appointment of seven new creative hires, led by Hadleigh Sinclair as the new group creative director.

Hadleigh has created award-winning campaigns for iconic brands, including Air New Zealand, Lion Nathan, MARS and FOXTEL. He was previously at dentsu Auckland where he led the creative output of the agency, including ASB’s ‘Borrow The All Blacks’ campaign.

Speaking on his appointment, he said, “In 2010, at the end of my internship at Colenso, I was told there were no jobs going. I was gutted, the place is like nowhere else, so I orchestrated a plan to get back in the building. 12 years, and four holding companies later, I’m pleased to say the plan’s worked out.”

Other appointments include Dustin de Souza, formerly from McCann London and Wunderman Thompson, joins as a senior art director; as well as Léon Bristow, who has recently returned from agency DDB C14torce in Barcelona, will partner with ex-Havas London creative Sophia Cussell.

In addition, Jian-Xin Tay joins as intermediate art director, while Hugo Smith and Stella Wilson join to bolster the design department, working with the head of design Dave Brady.

Simon Vicars, CCO at Colenso BBDO, says, “The best creative people I’ve worked with have had two consistent attributes: talent and energy. This group is brimming with both those things. I’m excited to see what we can do together.”

New Delhi, India – Digital media and digital marketing solutions company Adobe in India has appointed Anindita Das Veluri, former director at Deloitte India, to be its new head of marketing.

In this role, Veluri will be leading Adobe’s marketing strategy across the Indian market, and will be directly reporting to Duncan Egan, Adobe’s vice president of marketing for APAC.

In a career spanning over two decades, Veluri has held various leadership roles across sales and marketing. During her recent stint at Deloitte, she was responsible for building the Adobe alliance and scaling the company’s business in India. Prior to that, as the India business leader for the Adobe practice at IBM, Veluri was instrumental in expanding Adobe’s footprint across client segments. She was also involved in incubating the ‘marketing-as-a-service’ model for IBM Services and setting up the digital marketing services practice for solution selling across industries.

Commenting on her appointment, Veluri said, “In today’s digital economy, businesses understand that building customer experience is mission-critical to their growth, and Adobe is at the forefront of delivering next-generation technology to power them. I am excited to join Adobe’s exceptional team to grow the company’s strong and loyal base of customers as well as partners in India.”

Meanwhile, Egan shared that they are excited to welcome Veluri to drive Adobe’s marketing in India, as her strong track record and unique experience of having worked at the intersection of marketing, technology, business, and creativity make her a great partner for their fast-growing India business.

“Given Adobe’s clear leadership in the exploding Customer Experience Management category, we’ve led the industry by creating best-in-class marketing practices that drive business success. We see Anindita playing a critical role in sharing Adobe’s marketing journey with brands in India, and enabling their digital transformation strategies,” said Egan.

Singapore – Social media and camera company Snap has announced new hires across its verticals in Singapore to bolster in Singapore. They will build on the company’s growth momentum following Snap’s Singapore office opening in 2020 to boost its regional presence and investments. 

The new hires in Singapore are namely Saurabh Dangwal as head of global brands for APAC, where he will be responsible for Snap’s global client partnerships across the region to drive business results using Snap’s AR and commerce solutions; Dan Heffernan as head of global agency for APAC, where he will be in charge of developing strategies to grow Snap’s partnership with agencies through scaled education and commercial initiatives; Igor Lima, head of global brands for tech in APAC, where he will partner with top brands in the tech industry to drive meaningful results and digital innovation; and Kelly Chiu as product marketing manager, where she will drive product excellence for the region.

Other hires in APAC include Kanishk Khanna as director of media partnerships in APAC, where he will collaborate with top content and media organisations to drive meaningful engagement and empower them to meet their business goals. Aiding Snap’s government relations and public policy work in the region will be Amanda Ang as head of public policy for East Asia and leading their recruitment efforts in the region is Monisha Singh as recruitment lead in APAC.

Kathryn Carter, general manager for APAC at Snap, said, “The opportunities for Snap across the APAC region are tremendous. We continue to grow the team at a phenomenal rate, further increasing our capacity to deliver to brands, advertisers and partners. We’re excited to continue building the momentum in each of our APAC markets with such a talented group of individuals.”

Vietnam – United Overseas Bank (UOB) in Vietnam has elevated Victor Ngo, former head of group compliance at UOB Vietnam, to be its new chief executive officer (CEO). The appointment of Ngo succeeds Harry Loh, who relinquished his position to return to Singapore to lead the Group Non-Financial Risk Management.

In his new role, Ngo will be leading efforts to deepen UOB Vietnam’s digital capabilities, expand its financing offerings, and connect clients to market opportunities in Vietnam and across UOB Group’s regional network.

Ngo is a banking veteran with more than 30 years of experience. He joined UOB in 2004, where he led leadership roles. Since 2015, Ngo has been active in engaging businesses and industry partners in Vietnam. He was instrumental in helping the bank to become the first Singapore bank to establish a foreign-owned subsidiary in Vietnam in 2017.

Wee Ee Cheong, UOB’s deputy chairman and CEO, commented, “Victor has deep market knowledge and a strong affinity with Vietnam. With his extensive experience in the banking industry and within UOB Group, he is well placed to drive our Vietnam franchise to new heights.”

Singapore – Financial service giant HSBC in Singapore has elevated Alan Ng, former country head of global trade and receivables finance at HSBC Vietnam, to be its new head of SME banking, HSBC’s specialist coverage division supporting small businesses.

In his new role, Ng will be reporting to Regina Lee, HSBC Singapore’s head of commercial banking. This appointment succeeds Li Lian Ng, who was appointed to lead a new coverage division in March 2022, supporting internationally-minded mid-sized businesses in Singapore.

Ng joined HSBC in Singapore in 2008 and has since held coverage and sales roles across the bank’s trade and commodities divisions. Aside from his recent role at HSBC Vietnam, Ng was also the head of global trade and receivables finance at HSBC Taiwan in 2017. He also spent over 10 years at various banks in Singapore.

Commenting on Ng’s elevation, Lee said, “Alan’s many decades of experience both in Singapore and around Southeast Asia will be of great benefit to our SME customers, and will enable HSBC to continue to capture more share of this growing market.”

Tokyo, Japan – Global advertising agency TBWA\Worldwide has appointed Kazoo Sato, former executive creative director at TBWA\Hakuhodo, to be its new chief creative sustainability officer at TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia.

In his new role, Sato will be the key creator of solutions to sustainable problems through the creation of innovative and unconventional design thinking, creative campaigns, products, experiences, and communications for TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia collective. He will also be responsible for engaging in activities, which elevate the agency in Japan and the entire Asia collective’s learning and engender a pervasive culture around sustainable solutions. 

Moreover, Sato will be helping identify and define the clients’ long-term value, brand goals, and business objectives, advising on insight and approaches to drive change and make a positive impact across society, business, and the environment. 

Sean Donovan, TBWA\Asia’s president, shared that creativity is the most potent skill they can bring to address the issues of sustainability and Sato’s elevation to lead both TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia’s creative approach to sustainability is a natural one.

“His passion and curiosity about sustainability are evident across the work he has consistently delivered in his capacity as a chief creative officer of TBWA\Hakuhodo. In his new role, Kazoo will strive to make sustainability actionable and relevant across all clients and agencies by leveraging his outstanding and distinctive approach to creativity,” said Donovan.

TBWA said that in addition to this role, Sato was accepted and has commenced studying at the highly regarded Graduate College of Global Environmental Studies in Tokyo towards an MA in Global Environmental Studies.

Meanwhile, Chris Iki, TBWA\Hakuhodo’s chief operating officer, said, “This is an exciting career opportunity for Kazoo, who has consistently leveraged the power of creativity to make a difference in people’s lives and a positive impact on the planet, which is evidenced in his extensive portfolio of work. We congratulate Kazoo on his role and wish him well with his studies.”

Malaysia – Malaysia-based leisure entertainment specialist and theme parks developer and operator, Sim Leisure Group (SLG), has appointed celebrity host and TV presenter Baki Zainal as its first-ever brand ambassador. This appointment will see Zainal anchoring and championing prominent brands under the group, including its proprietary ESCAPE brand of nature-inspired theme parks.

Zainal, who has made significant strides in Malaysia’s entertainment industry with his talent and linguistic edge, is perhaps most known for his claim to fame as a multilingual TV host, conversing effortlessly in English, Bahasa Melayu, and Mandarin, amassing a wide-reaching audience and fan base. He is also known to be an avid traveller, adrenaline junkie, and thrill seeker, making his appointment as SLG’s brand ambassador a rather natural one.

Commenting on his ambassadorship, Zainal shared that he has always had a lot of respect for Sim Leisure Group, especially for the ESCAPE brand of themed attractions, as they are a fine example of a homegrown Malaysian success story, who have made their mark in the international travel and leisure industry. 

“And as a TV and travel show host, this is something I try to promote and portray – the multifaceted nature and richness of Malaysia and Malaysians. So, when I was approached by the group to be their first-ever brand ambassador, I did not hesitate to jump on the opportunity. It’s going to be exciting and I’m truly looking forward to working with them,” said Zainal. 

Meanwhile, Choo Kheng Sim, Sim Leisure Group’s founder and CEO, commented that they are thrilled to have Zainal on board as their first-ever brand ambassador, as they have had a wonderful working relationship with him in the past when he hosted the launch of many of their attractions. 

“In addition to his natural charm and magnetic personality, his spirit of excitement and adventure has truly stood out, making him the perfect fit for this role. Moreover, his involvement with various travel and tourism bodies around the world bodes well for the group’s ongoing expansion plans, not only in Malaysia, but also internationally. We’ve got a lot of plans in store and are already working with him on several engagements to take our brands and attractions to even greater heights,” said Sim.