Tag: Appointments

Sydney, Australia – Global web recommendation platform Outbrain has appointed Paul Knegten, former senior marketing executive of CTV platform FreeWheel, to step into its newly created position of chief marketing officer (CMO).

Knegten brings his deep background in advertising technology in this hyper-growth sector of ad tech to Outbrain following its acquisition of video intelligence AG, a contextual video platform in the CTV space. Prior to FreeWheel, Knegten was the CMO for Beeswax, which was acquired in 2021 by Comcast’s FreeWheel.

In his new role, Knegten will be leading Outbrain’s global marketing initiatives and will be instrumental in promoting the platform’s global brand. He will also oversee the global and regional planning, development, and execution of Outbrain’s strategic and product marketing programs and campaigns.

Commenting on his appointment, Knegten said, “I have been watching Outbrain since its founding with admiration and am beyond excited to join this amazing team and build upon Outbrain’s unparalleled technology and product leadership.”

Meanwhile, David Kostman, Outbrain’s co-CEO, commented that Knegten is a talented, experienced, and impressive addition to their executive team and the ideal person to drive their brand and global marketing. 

He further shared that Outbrain is on the verge of its annual 2022 advertising innovation conference, ‘Unveil’, and Knegten is joining the company at an exciting time.

“Paul’s extensive and proven track record in our markets will be invaluable as we continue to grow as a leading recommendation platform for the open web across platforms,” said Kostman.

‘Unveil 2022’ is a digital innovation roadshow which will run for a single day on 17 March 2022 for the APAC region, which is now open for early registration.

Singapore – Advertising network TBWA\Asia has appointed Gabey Goh, former editor for Asia at research, case studies, and best practice provider firm WARC, to be its new associate director of innovation content.

As part of her new role, Goh will now be responsible for helping develop and execute the Asia collective’s innovation content strategy to deepen thought leadership and stimulate innovative ideas across the region.

Commenting on her appointment, Goh said that it was hard to say no to joining a team that brings positive disruption to brands, in a time when leading-edge thinking and work has become a necessary and business-critical asset.

“I can’t wait to lend a hand in telling these stories of transformation and triumph from Asia, with TBWA,” added Goh.

Meanwhile, Tessa Conrad, TBWA\Asia’s head of innovation, shared that to effectively articulate and amplify the creation of value they strive to bring to the clients via their innovation capabilities, the role of innovation content director has become an imperative. 

“Gabey’s adept ability to identify key emerging patterns across cultural content, data, technology and consumer behavioural trends, coupled with her experience and passion to create valuable and insightful reports, which resonate across cultural and geographical boundaries, will enable us to achieve our ambition,” said Conrad.

Singapore – Public relations and content marketing agency Mutant in Singapore has appointed four new key leaders, namely Matthew de Bakker, the new country manager for Singapore, Lina Marican, the new regional managing director, Byravee Iyer, the new head of content, and Rebecca Lewis, the new brand strategy director.

De Bakker is an experienced agency leader who has led Mutant’s PR business in Singapore since 2017. During his time as head of PR, De Bakker helped add a string of big brands and well-funded startups to the agency’s client roster, including Singapore Sports Hub, Experian APAC, Disney, and Ula, amongst others. 

Meanwhile, Marican was previously Mutant’s managing director, and has more than tripled the agency’s revenue and expanded its headcount to over 30 across its Singapore and Malaysia offices. In her new role, she will now be responsible for launching and scaling the agency in new and existing markets in Southeast Asia. 

And lastly, Iyer and Lewis, who will both step into newly created roles, will now be seeking to expand Mutant’s fast-growing content and brand offerings.

Joseph Barratt, Mutant’s CEO, shared that they have exciting plans to set up offices in new markets, with Indonesia and the Philippines on their horizon this coming Mutant’s 10th anniversary. 

“I am confident that Mutant’s leadership team will continue to build on our foundation of being communications partners that drive business results for our clients,” said Barratt.

Dubai, UAE – Dubai-based esports organisation Galaxy Racer (GXR) has appointed Rohin Bhaumik, former marketing lead at gaming publisher Garena, to be its new head of creators and talent for South Asia. 

Bhaumik has a strong background in esports and gaming, having worked both as an influencer and in creator management at Intel India and Garena’s BOOYAH!, where he created multiple IP’s around the creators across games such as Free Fire, GTA Online, and Fall Guys. He was also a major stakeholder in the launch of BOOYAH! Esports in 2021. Moreover, Bhaumik has previously worked with leading brands such as PUBG Mobile and OnePlus. 

As part of his new role at GXR, Bhaumik will be focusing on both current and future content creators, scaling them at hyper-growth speed.

GXR believes that Bhaumik can bridge the gap between all stakeholders within the ecosystem, and it anticipates that his knowledge and experience will bring great value to the team.

Commenting on his appointment, Bhaumik said, “I look forward to growing our content creators and providing them with the highest quality content possible that will support their growth.”

Paul Roy, Galaxy Racer’s CEO, shared that with the aggressive expansion of their organization at the hyper-growth stage and particularly their content creators network throughout South Asia, it is key that their creative output is of the highest calibre with an end-to-end support structure.

“Rohin’s wealth of experience will undoubtedly make him an invaluable asset to the Galaxy Racer family. Welcome to our galaxy,” said Roy.

Thailand – Global brand experience agency VMLY&R in Thailand has appointed two new hires to drive its brand experience, customer experience, and commerce practices, which has already reaped new business wins including Lotus, CP, and CPF.

The two new hires to the newly-created roles are Chaicharn Jiraumnuaiporn, the new director of commerce, and Thiti Thianprued, the new director of experience design.

Jiraumnuaiporn has over 10 years of experience in e-commerce and digital marketing, specialising in harmonising channel strategy. Having started out client-side at Groupon Thailand and Ensogo, he then applied his deep understanding of the end-to-end process at major retail firms Makro, FN outlet, and Big C.

Meanwhile, Thianprued started his career in the design and advertising field as a digital art director, and has become the creative director at Wunderman Thompson Thailand, where he was responsible for managing the creative and production teams, overseeing all digital creative solutions. He then worked for various start-ups, focused on improving UX (user experience) and CX (customer experience).

Commenting on his new role, Jiraumnuaiporn said, “VMLY&R research shows e-commerce in Asia-Pacific as the highest-growth region in the world with a cash flow of over $1.3b. While global e-commerce continues to grow by 28.5%, the Thai e-commerce market has grown by 71%. This is why I joined VMLYR Commerce, to help clients tap into the opportunities offered by e-commerce.”

Thianprued also commented, “It’s exciting to have joined VMLY&R Thailand, where we see CX work as essential for creating that human connection between the customer and the brand. It is a creation that must come from understanding the customer before they have met the brand.”

Meanwhile, Yupin Muntzing, VMLY&R Thailand’s CEO, said, “Our belief is to build connected brands from BX to CX and Commerce. Today with our team and our potential, we are ready to meet the needs of our customers in every aspect, including working closely with customers to generate sales and profits.”

Ekaluck Charanvas, VMLY&R Thailand’s brand experience lead and chief strategy officer, shared that a 2020 survey of over 13,000 Thais using VMLY&R’s BAV tool found that despite the global pandemic and consequent economic crisis, many brands in Thailand were surprised to find an increase in the value of their brand and an unperturbed faith in their business. 

“During uncertain times, people feel insecure and therefore look for things they can trust and have confidence in,” said Charanvas.

Most recently, VMLY&R Thailand has also appointed Anuwat ‘Bert’ Nitipanont to be its new chief creative officer.

Australia – Australian media company Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) has appointed Lucia Elliott, former principal at marketing consultancy Creighton Ward, to be its new national trade marketing director. 

Elliott brings her strategic and creative expertise to the trade remit leveraging her more than 20 years of experience working in marketing and creative agencies, including McCann-Erickson, Mojo, George Patterson Partners, and The Campaign Palace. She has also run her own marketing consultancy for several years working successfully with many high-profile Australian brands.

In her new role, Elliott will be charged with driving awareness and understanding of SCA’s total media portfolio, including the company’s digital transformation amongst clients and media agencies nationally. 

Aside from her role at SCA, Elliott is currently the marketing director of the Boomtown collective, where she oversaw several successful initiatives. She is also a part of the Boomtown Steering Committee.

Commenting on her new role, Elliott said, “SCA is committed to technology that not only delivers more invested consumers, but it also enables SCA to better understand its audiences as well. I’m thrilled to be part of the evolution and the fact that I can continue to champion Boomtown, a brand that’s near and dear to my heart, is a win-win, and I can’t wait to get stuck in!”

In addition, SCA has promoted Megan Parkes, its current trade marketing manager for New South Wales (NSW), as its new national trade marketing manager, where she will work closely with Elliott. Parkes will retain her NSW trade and client engagement activities, and lead the state-based trade marketing managers. Prior to SCA, she worked in marketing and events and fashion PR for several years.

Nikki Clarkson, SCA’s chief marketing officer, said that in Elliot’s role leading Boomtown, she has demonstrated strong strategic and creative skills with many achievements, and they are excited for her to join the SCA Marketing team. 

“Megan is already a valuable member of the trade marketing team and has proven her ability to deliver exceptional outcomes. Both Lucia and Megan will add a great degree of strength to SCA’s trade marketing,” added Clarkson. 

The appointments of Elliott and Parkes will be effective from 7 February 2022.

New York, USA – Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the global content studio by IPG Mediabrands, has appointed Alfonso Marian, former chairman at creative agency Ogilvy Spain, to be its new global chief executive officer (CEO) and chief creative officer (COO).

Prior to his recent role at Ogilvy, Marian has served as the agency’s global creative director for customer engagement and e-commerce, and has spent more than a decade in senior creative and directorial roles for the agency and within its global operations. 

In his new role, Marian, who will report to Brendan Gaul, the global chief content chief officer at Mediabrands and the global president at Mediabrands’ film and television studio TRAVERSE32, will be spearheading the growing global scope of MBCS which will expand from its original focus on 12 key markets to 20 territories in the coming year. These additional locations will further enable the studio to offer Mediabrands’ clients greater unique market insights and enhanced support for local, regional, and global content campaigns.

Commenting on his appointment, Marian said that he is excited to be a part of MBCS at such a pivotal time in the company’s genesis.

“MBCS is not only leading a movement that will forever change the media and content landscape but evinces Mediabrands’ commitment to understanding how the brave new world of content is moving audiences emotionally, moving ideas across media plans, and most importantly, moving client KPIs and sales,” said Marian.

Meanwhile, Gaul shared that Marian has a reputation for producing brilliant work, being laser-focused on client success and the ability to build supportive teams.

“I’m thrilled that he’s joining MBCS as we build the content studio of the future, a best-in-class agency that offers clients extraordinary creative services using a media-first approach. Alfonso brings extensive agency leadership credentials and is also a visionary leader who uniquely understands how media moves creative forward,” said Gaul. 

MBCS said that its forward-looking move marks a deeper commitment by media holding company, IPG Mediabrands, to broaden the scale and scope of content offerings that they can provide for clients across the network. It comes as more access to addressability, more opportunities for media platform creativity and more connections to the creator economy increasingly impact how brand stories are told and content is made in the world today.

Sydney, Australia — Ampel, an audio experience agency based in Australia, after a period of sustained development in the agency has named two new senior hires in their leadership team, appointing Stuart Buckland and Lauren Deighton to the newly created roles of director, audio production and director, media partnerships respectively with both appointments effective immediately.

Buckland holds extensive expertise with more than a decade of involvement in the media industry. Prior to joining Ampel, he worked at Channel 10, a flagship station in Sydney, where he was instrumental in launching the station’s ‘10 Speaks’ podcast platform, managing a team of producers, creating and executing the platform’s strategy.

During his time at Ch10, he produced the platform’s two biggest shows, ‘Where’s William Tyrrell?’ and ‘The Professor and The Hack.’Buckland was also named EP of the ’10 News First Person’ podcast, which won the Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding Podcast and the SA Press Club Award for Best Long-Form Radio Report or Podcast in 2020.

Buckland is responsible for leading Ampel’s physical audio production team in the creation of original podcasts and branded audio, ensuring clients’ assets can be leveraged across all paid, owned, and earned media.

Lauren Deighton brings more than a decade of national and international exposure to the audio agency working on both the agency and publisher side. She has led national and global client strategies and campaigns across top-value brands namely Google, Tourism Australia, Apple, Mondelez, Loreal, McDonald’s and Johnson & Johnson. Lauren has held various senior sales roles representing key clients at News Corp, The Urban List and VICE, and recently moved back from NYC where she held a role as brand partnerships director for a global SAAS company prior to joining Ampel.

Josh Butt, founder and executive producer of Ampel, commented that he was honoured to welcome such an experienced and skilled team to Ampel, with the duo being tasked with significantly increasing the agency’s scope of original content production capabilities as well as partnership & sponsorship support.

“Our clients are increasingly demanding more from the audio space and are looking for new ways to tap into this very lucrative marketing medium. When they look at statistics such as audio listening is growing 50+% YOY and the average Australian listens to more than 12 hours of audio per week, they know it’s the perfect mainstream format for consumers to experience interesting and entertaining content on demand. Audio audiences are sophisticated and demanding quality – podcasts that aren’t well made aren’t listened to,” Butt concluded.

These new signings are the first since the recruitment of Michelle Lomas, general manager of Ampel, in late 2021.

Lomas commented on the new hires, saying, “Lauren and Stuart bring the skills, capabilities and senior support to our team to help our clients take full advantage of what audio can offer their brands and audiences. With Lauren and Stuart on board, I can’t wait to hear what brilliant audio strategies, creations and partnerships we can now produce for our clients.”

Deighton also said, “Leading the way in the independent audio race is exactly where I expect Ampel to be and I’m delighted to be part of the team that will be responsible for bringing clients new opportunities in paid, owned and earned media within the podcast landscape; growing audiences and driving them to Ampel’s, and our client’s content. It’s a heady combination and I can’t wait to get started.”

Meanwhile, Buckland, also shared his thoughts, “Audio and voice are engaging avenues for brands to connect with consumers, and I’m excited to be working with brands to create audio eco-systems – from customer experience, B2B & B2C podcasts, smart home device skills, internal education and communication strategies and more. This is a great time to be in the industry and to help clients tap into the ever-growing format of audio.”

Buckland and Deighton’s appointments come on the cusp of Ampel significantly increasing its scope of original content production, including new comedy podcasts with high profile comedic talent; continued production of existing podcasts, brand funded podcasts, and production of brand funded TV shows.

Singapore – Programmatic digital advertising company PubMatic has elevated Lashanne Phang, former director of publisher development for APAC, to be its new global senior director of mobile.

During her previous role, Phang has helped drive the development of PubMatic’s mobile and omnichannel business in the region. Prior to joining PubMatic in 2019, Phang has held sales and business development roles at Smaato, Arton Capital, and Experian.

In her new role, Phang will be driving the growth of PubMatic’s global mobile business. She will build on the important global brand and publisher relationships she has developed and will explore new potential opportunities. This includes promoting the growth of the company’s OpenWrap SDK unified auction product, building relationships with mobile game developers and connecting them with brand advertising demand, and driving interest for PubMatic’s addressability solutions.

Phang noted, “We are committed to bringing new monetization opportunities to mobile publishers with the programmatic brand spend. As well, creating value for buyers has been a key differentiator for PubMatic and that will remain to be a priority.”

PubMatic said that mobile is a key 2022 growth area, and is part of a suite of cross-device and cross-screen offerings for buyers and publishers.

In December 2021, PubMatic has also elevated Peter Barry, former regional director for ANZ and head of audience for APAC, to be its new global vice president of addressability, where he will be providing overall leadership across multiple cross-functional teams and leading efforts with publishers in monetizing their inventory and driving better outcomes for advertisers and data partners.