Tag: Appointments

Melbourne, Australia – Independent media agency Match & Wood has appointed Daniel Bradley, former national head of investment at advertising agency CHEP Network, to step into the newly created role of general manager for its Melbourne office.

In the newly created role, Bradley will be responsible for client management, commercial, and operational leadership of the agency’s Melbourne team.

Bradley has 15 years of experience, working across media agencies in New Zealand, Germany, and Australia, including PHD, UM, and Carat. During his previous stint at CHEP, he has worked with clients including Coles, Target, Samsung, Australia Post, and Unilever as well as Virgin Airlines.

Bradley shared that in a crowded market of independent media agencies, Match & Wood has carved out a reputation for being smart, and agile, with a deep understanding of human behaviours, customer journeys, and access to market-leading technologies. 

“They have built an incredible team and I’m looking forward to working with them all to continue their upward trajectory,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lyndelle O’Keefe, Match & Wood’s CEO, commented that Bradley joins Match & Wood at a time when they continue to attract leading brands wanting to tap into the expertise and insights that their team offers. 

“We know what a great operator he is and to have someone of his calibre and experience join the agency at this time will only help drive our success,” said O’Keefe.

In February 2022, Match & Wood has also announced its appointment by food company Chobani to handle the media duties of the Chobani and Gippsland Dairy brands in the Australian market.

Manila, Philippines – Shopper marketing consultancy, Behaviorally, has announced its expansion to the Philippines, servicing its clients from a new Manila hub, with Joy Abella-Yu, former senior director for business development and media at insights and consulting company Kantar Philippines, joining as the new vice president.

Aside from her previous role at Kantar, Abella-Yu has also held leadership roles at numerous research agencies, as well as client companies, including Johnson & Johnson, The Hershey Company, and Procter & Gamble, amongst others. She has over 15 years of market and consumer insights experience having worked throughout SEA and in the US. Abella-Yu will be joined by Kat Lim, Behaviorally’s director of client development, servicing brands in the region from the new hub.

According to Behaviorally, this move is the latest in Behaviorally’s rapid expansion in Asia and globally including new offices in Switzerland, Australia, New York City, France, and Germany. Behaviorally applies a digital-first approach to shopper research, a unique behavioural framework, state of the art AI technology, and decades of category expertise to define and diagnose the factors that influence consumer behaviour and drive shopper growth at both the digital and physical shelf.

Crispin Beale, Behaviorally’s group president, said that Abella-Yu’s extensive experience will help FMCG companies in and outside of Asia shape their go-to-market and retail strategies, as well as develop successful innovations.

“Plus her knowledge of media and digital trends make her the perfect fit for helping us implement our strategic vision in this region and guide our customers to success,” added Beale.

Manila, Philippines – Automobile manufacturer Nissan in the Philippines has appointed Juan Manuel Hoyos, former general manager of global brand and engagement at Nissan, to be its new president during the handover ceremony held last 11 May 2022 at Okada Manila.

In his new role as president, Hoyos will be responsible for steering the company’s direction to drive product innovation and business improvements. During the event, he shared his plans to strengthen the Nissan brand in the country to improve its competitiveness and to continue to provide excellent aftersales service to its customers.

Hoyos joined Nissan in 2017 as marketing director for the Latin America region, where he later took on the role of general manager of global engagement brand, based in Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama. Before Nissan, Hoyos has also held various management positions at Renault and General Motors.

The event also celebrated the achievements of the outgoing president, Atsushi Najima, as he begins his new role as the chief financial officer at Nissan India.

Recounting his achievements and challenges during his term, Najima commented that he is excited for Nissan in the Philippines as it charts a new chapter with Hoyos at the helm, as his vast experience in the automotive industry will help him sustain the growth that they have established in the last three years, as the country steadily recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic

“It is a bittersweet moment for me as I move to my new assignment. My family and I will definitely miss the warmth and hospitality of our colleagues and partners. At the same time, I am proud of the company Nissan Philippines has become through the hard work, passion, and perseverance of its people,” said Najima.

Meanwhile, Hoyos noted that they will continue to focus on their highly dedicated people, excellent products and service, and exceptional customer experience so they can sustain the company’s growth trajectory through this management transition. 

“I look forward to further growing the Nissan brand in the Philippines, building upon the solid foundation of trust it has laid over the years,” he said.

Malaysia – Ramping up Wavemaker Malaysia’s capability to take advantage of the huge growth opportunities in the market, the media agency has announced new leadership appointments. This includes the elevation of Sheley Lim, former head of digital at Wavemaker Malaysia, to step into the new role of general manager. 

Lim has been in the industry for 18 years, 14 of which have been with GroupM. She has been instrumental in Wavemaker Malaysia’s own digital transformation journey, and her connectedness to the Wavemaker network and personal contribution to the incredible work created in the region makes her qualified to drive the agency’s growth ambition and clients.

Commenting on her elevation, Lim said, “I am excited about unleashing the full potential of Wavemaker Malaysia. My vision for the agency is to focus on a people-first company by creating an open and inclusive culture where everyone can have their voices heard and share ownership for the direction and future of the company, create and deliver fantastic, meaningful work for our clients and inspire and excite talent with our Wavemaker Provocative Planning mantra.”

Aside from Lim’s elevation, Wavemaker Malaysia has also announced the appointment of Usman Bin Tahir as the new senior business director, Ryan Foo as the new business director, and Aw Wai Choong as the new regional planning director, as well as Chua Shu Jien as the new business director. They will be joining Brandon Chang, Ravi Singh, Eldon D’Cruz, and Cindy Chia as the executive leadership of Wavemaker Malaysia.

Gordon Domlija, Wavemaker’s CEO for APAC, commented that he is filled with genuine excitement and expectation at what they can achieve together.

“Effective leadership is increasingly a collective effort, bringing together exceptional talent, and combining their experiences and expertise to create a whole agency which is far greater than the sum of its individual parts. The future is bright and full of opportunity for Wavemaker in Malaysia,” said Domlija.

Sydney, Australia – Re, the global design business agency under M&C Saatchi Group, has appointed Remi Couzelas, former head of brand planning at full-service agency 303 MullenLowe, to be its new group head of Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. 

In his new role, Couzelas will be overseeing Optus’ business across both Re and the telco’s bespoke built in-house offering, Yes Agency, as well as leading the integration of projects with other agency village partners.

Aside from his previous stint at 303 MullenLowe, Couzelas has already served as the strategy director of Optus at Re in 2018, where he worked closely with the telco’s marketing leadership team, leading the brand planning and development.

Commenting on his appointment, Couzelas said, “The opportunity to come back to Re and M&C Saatchi Group, combined with a strong desire to work with the Optus team again, felt like something I could not say no to.”

Meanwhile, Melissa Hopkins, Optus’ vice president of marketing, said, “We are super excited to welcome him back to the family in this new extended role.”

Patrick Guerrera, the CEO of Re and Yes Agency, noted that Couzelas’ first tenure at Re and the M&C Saatchi Group was phenomenal, and he has made an extraordinary impact on Optus.

“We’re also thrilled to have him back culturally, where he always shared his strategic brilliance and a huge sense of fun,” added Guerrera.

Vietnam – GroupM’s influencer marketing solution INCA has appointed Loan Menuge, senior digital planning and integration manager at Japanese advertising and public relations company Hakuhodo Inc., to lead its expansion in Vietnam. 

In his new appointment, Menuge will be responsible for INCA’s overall business growth and customer success. He will also be overseeing a strategic go-to-market plan that fosters deep customer engagement, strengthens partnerships, and builds a powerful network of alliances

Menuge has over eight years of experience in orchestrating and optimising multiple full-fledged projects. His expertise ranges from implementing innovative initiatives for digital transformation, to conceiving omni-channel communication directions for the world’s top brands. During his stint at Hakuhodo, Menuge was tasked with establishing and growing the group’s digital capability from the ground up.

Commenting on his appointment, Menuge said, “I am thrilled to be joining the GroupM family as INCA’s Lead in Vietnam, where I will work closely with brands to maximise the returns on their digital investments. Influencer marketing is exploding in Vietnam, and I’m excited to collaborate with GroupM to implement INCA’s influencer marketing solutions to the country.”

Tomasz Kuisz, GroupM’s chief product officer for Vietnam, commented they are happy to welcome Menuge on board to lead the growth of INCA in Vietnam, and his experience and insights are invaluable in helping Vietnamese brands scale up their digital campaigns through their best in class AI-enabled influencer marketing technology.

“Thanks to experts like Loan we can maximise the potential of our unique technology to guarantee not only effective marketing but also connect brands with relevant, authentic influencers and publishers. I am confident that Loan will be influential in driving INCA Vietnam’s next chapter of growth,” said Kuisz.

India – Advertising agency DDB Mudra Group has appointed Aniruddha Deb, former senior vice president and executive business director at Wunderman Thompson, to be its new executive vice president and head of business for North. 

In his new role, Deb will be overseeing the integrated business between DDB Mudra and 22feet Tribal Worldwide in the North office.

Deb brings with him more than 19 years of brand stewardship experience in advertising and marketing. He has worked with global brands like Unilever, Nestle, Wipro, Samsung, LG, HSBC, and Vodafone, as well as KFC, and Subway. Aside from his recent stint at Wunderman Thompson, Deb has served as the chief marketing officer at smartphone brand Mobiistar. He has also worked with agencies such as Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe and Cheil Worldwide.

Deb shared that what got him is the company’s constant endeavour to grow and build great brands through recognisable and effective creative work and the ability and eagerness to provide integrated solutions irrespective of the kind of business they hold. 

“It really excites me to come on board and lead client partnerships across mainline and digital. I hope to play a significant part in the Group’s ongoing growth journey,” said Deb

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Sawhney, DDB Mudra Group’s managing partner for North, commented, “Aniruddha’s appointment is in sync with this growing need as he complements both these skill sets with aplomb and has a keen appreciation of what is effective, creative work. We’re excited to see what the future of this hybrid model at the group holds with him on board.”

Just recently, DDB Mudra Group has elevated Vanaja Pillai to be its new head of diversity, inclusion, and impact. She will be working on initiatives to grow a diverse and inclusive workplace, including talent acquisition, retention, training, and outreach to talent in underrepresented communities.

Hong Kong – Integrated blockchain gaming and entertainment company Catheon Gaming has appointed a roster of board of advisors, composed of industry-leading veterans who collectively bring over a century of experience from some well-known gaming and entertainment enterprises globally, including Activision Blizzard, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Viacom, and King Digital.

The new board of advisor members are namely Philip Earl, Nainan Shah, Marcus Jacobs, Alex Xu, Daniel Yang, and Jason Hung.

With 14 years of global gaming and over 30 years of extensive corporate management experience, Earl was formerly the executive vice president at Activision Blizzard for over a decade and held roles including global leadership of the Call of Duty, Destiny and Skylanders franchises in Santa Monica, head of APAC in Shanghai and Sydney, as well as head of the international division in London, and chairman of the European Video Games Industry Association.

Meanwhile, Shah is a senior industry executive and advisor with over 25 years of experience in the video game industry. He was formerly the senior vice president for corporate strategy and development at Sony Interactive Entertainment, where he was responsible for merger and acquisitions, strategy, and the securing of new content for the platform. 

In addition, Jacobs brings with him over 20 years of experience across the gaming and online casino industries, half of which were spent at an executive level. He was a standing member of the executive management team at King Digital from 2012 to 2019.

Xu is the current CEO at top Chinese animation group and Aotu World IP-owner MultiMetaverse Inc. Having previously held the position of CEO at Leyou Technologies up until its US$1.5n acquisition by Tencent, and formerly served as chief business officer at Perfect World.

Hung has more than 20 years of experience as a serial entrepreneur in mobile technology and blockchain. He has advised more than 50 blockchain companies including Catheon Gaming, Evveland Metaverse, SoundofThings, Debond Protocol, and over 30 ICOs.

Lastly, Yang joins the advisory board with over 20 years of experience in driving growth and as a deal maker across blue chip gaming and media enterprises. He is currently the chief strategy officer at Aristocrat, a global gaming content and technology provider, where he leads their group strategy, long range planning, and corporate development efforts.

William Wu, chief executive officer at Catheon Gaming, commented, “We are pleased to welcome Philip, Nainan, Jason, Daniel, Marcus, and Alex to Catheon Gaming’s Advisory Board. Their expertise and proven track records in driving value creation across businesses will be critical in helping Catheon solidify its position as the leading blockchain gaming and entertainment company, and further accelerate the tremendous growth that Catheon has already seen to date.”

Sydney, Australia – ​Socially-led creative agency We Are Social in Australia has appointed Ben Clare, former group creative director at independent creative agency Emotive, to be its new executive creative director.

Clare’s creative reputation has been built over a 15-year career working in Australia and the United States. Aside from his previous role at Emotive, Clare was the creative director at TBWA Sydney, Clemenger BBDO Sydney, and Johannes Leonardo in New York. Over his career, Clare has also worked with brands including Google, Qantas, Tourism Australia, and Amazon, as well as Optus, and Skittles, amongst many others, helping them tell their stories in meaningful ways across film, digital experiences, and branded entertainment, as well as PR, and social.

In his new role, Clare will be leading the development of We Are Social Australia’s creative vision, working with a team of editors, copywriters, art directors, videographers, and photographers, as well as designers, delivering social-first ideas and integrated campaigns for clients including Samsung, Audi, Foxtel, and TikTok, amongst others.

Commenting on his appointment, Clare said that the opportunity to join We Are Social and help define its next chapter proved impossible to pass up. 

“More importantly, We Are Social is filled with lovely and talented people eager to take risks. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” added Clare.

Meanwhile, Suzie Shaw, We Are Social’s CEO for Australia, commented that he loves Clare’s work, and his energy. 

“Having him join the business at a time when we’ve got so many great clients all looking for interesting ideas, I’m seriously excited about the next creative chapter for We Are Social,” said Shaw.

Hong Kong – Global brand transformation company Landor & Fitch has announced its enhanced leadership roster in Asia-Pacific amidst greater demand for data backed branding and unique experience design. In addition, the appointments add to a 300 strong team located in studios across the region from Tokyo to Mumbai, Sydney and Beijing.

The new appointees are namely Julius Cruickshank, creative director and head of Sydney and Melbourne design team; Monica Zhu, insights and analytics director for Hong Kong; Stephen Pill, strategy director for experience; and Nav Kumari, senior director for client services in APAC.

Cruickshank’s 20 years of experience working with the likes of the Australian Government, Crown Resorts, Dolby and KPMG will be leveraged to create brands that are relevant, uniquely creative and deliver tangible business results. Meanwhile, Zhu brings 17 years of experience in consumer insights and analytics, specialist branding, market analysis, new product development and go-to market communications to the award-winning Hong Kong studio of the company.

In addition, Pill will set the strategy for how Landor & Fitch develop innovative experiences, building on global award-winning work with Singtel, Swire and Apraava Energy. Lastly, Kumari has expertise across FMCG, retail, and telecommunications with a strong intent to create regionally and locally relevant solutions that help to positively transform their portfolio of FMCG brands.

Jonathan Cummings, president at Landor & Fitch for APAC, commented, “2022 has got off to a very exciting start for Landor & Fitch across the region following a great performance in 2021 and I am delighted that we continue to welcome star talent to the team.”

He added, “We expect to see growing needs for clients to reimagine and reinvent their brand ambition and experience to thrive in the new normal. Our breadth and depth of expertise in brand transformation, underpinned by our insights and analytics capability will ensure we can deliver powerful and tangible business results for our clients.”