Tag: Appointments

Singapore – Intrepid Group Asia, e-commerce services platform with SEA presence, has announced two new appointments in its marketing team – Steven Ghoos, the new regional digital marketing director, and Anna March, the new regional director of e-commerce and performance marketing.

Ghoos is most recently a managing director at digital agency Lion & Lion, where he led business profitability and managed teams and campaign strategy in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. Prior to Lion & Lion, Ghoos was also the managing director at the Indonesian marketplace Lamudi, the head of sales and customer experience at Lazada, and the managing director at Rocket Internet. As he now joins Intrepid, Ghoos will be bringing over 16 years of experience in driving business profitability and strategy at market-leading companies.

Meanwhile, March has previously held performance director roles, where she led key digital accounts and strategy at Omnicom Agency Hearts and Science, Wavemaker London, and OMD Australia, as well as Aegis Australia. Prior to joining Intrepid Group late last year, she has also ran performance marketing for audiobook provider Audible in Australia and Japan. March brings almost two decades of experience in leading performance marketing strategy and teams.

Through their new roles, Ghoos and March will be driving Intrepid’s digital marketing business. March will be based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she will help drive the performance marketing strategy for brand partners in the e-commerce market, while Singapore-based Ghoos will be focusing on full-funnel, content, and creative propositions and clients in non-B2C e-commerce verticals.

Both will be reporting directly to Jasper Knoben, Intrepid Group Asia’s CEO.

Knoben commented, “Their complementary experience, valuable insights, and track records for impactful, performance-driven marketing will further strengthen our position and capabilities as a full-funnel partner that can help our clients gain a competitive edge in today’s digital world.”

Singapore – Creative agency 72andSunny in Singapore has announced two new appointments, namely Farhan Darma, the new senior art director, and Daniel Ko, the new group creative director, to drive its creative team.

Darma brings with him almost 10 years of experience in the creative industry. He was recently the senior art director at integrated communications agency VCCP, where he worked on the global Shell business and Netflix. 

Meanwhile, Ko was one of the earliest creative hires at 72andSunny Singapore and has spent two decades across companies like BBH, TSLA, and Iris, working on brands like Tiger Beer and NTUC Income. At 72andSunny, he leads the team of Johnnie Walker, Carousell, and GIC, among others.

Johnny Tan, 72andSunny’s executive creative director for APAC, commented, “It’s always such a joy seeing our guys rise and thrive. Daniel has been absolutely brilliant since Day One. And bringing on more talent like Farhan just adds to the fun in the work.”

In November 2021, 72andSunny has also announced the appointment of Judy Ang, the new group brand director, Jaclyn Lee, the new senior strategy director, and Jonathan Tan, the new brand director, citing business growth and momentum.

Singapore – As part of Lion & Lion’s ongoing expansion of their senior team in Singapore, the digital-first agency has Rebecca Lai, former business director at marketing agency Oliver, to be its new business director.

During her stint at Oliver, Lai led the UStudio Singapore and Bayer Southeast Asia teams, specializing in in-house content creation for the clients. Her career in communications spans more than 15 years, with experience leading accounts for international agencies in the WPP and Omnicom groups. Moreover, Lai attributes her success with major blue-chip brands to her strong understanding of business objectives, combined with insightful value propositions

In her new role, Lai will be responsible for driving Lion & Lion’s offerings in Singapore and the region, with a focus on maintaining the agency’s strong momentum in building networks with notable consumer and corporate brands. She will be reporting directly to Fredrik Gumpel, the chief executive officer of Lion & Lion.

Commenting on joining Lion & Lion, Lai said, “I am excited to partner with talented minds in Lion & Lion as we tackle the ever-evolving digital ecosystem for our clients. I think I have joined them at the right time, following the agency’s transformation, and I hope to contribute to our growth in the coming months,” said Rebecca, on joining the agency. 

Meanwhile, John Campbell-Bruce, Lion & Lion’s managing director for Indonesia, commented, “We are extremely excited to have Rebecca on board. She comes with a wealth of experience across all levels and I am confident that under her management, the Singapore office will continue to move forward and continue the agency’s transformation and ultimately achieve great results.”

Cheelip Ong, Lion & Lion’s regional chief creative officer, believes Lai’s experience in Singapore as a seasoned digital-native client servicing leader will prove invaluable to both our regional clients and to our growth in Singapore.

“She will be working closely with Jonn Dogra, our Creative Director and Head of Brand Experience for Singapore to apply digital-first solutions to all clients we serve, to mark a new era of transformation for our Singapore office,” said Ong.

Just recently, Lion & Lion Malaysia has appointed young talent from dentsu, Frederik Rasmussen, as its new client director, who will be responsible to augment the business development department of the agency.

Malaysia – Creative agency Ogilvy in Malaysia has appointed Eddy Nazarullah, former creative director at Mediabrands’ digital creative agency Reprise, to be its new creative director. 

Aside from his stint at Reprise, Nazarullah also serves as a creative director at integrated marketing communications network MullenLowe and was on the creatives team of communications agency Leo Burnett.

At Reprise, Nazarullah was part of the team that launched the successful KEPCI KITCHEN campaign for KFC, which ran during the early periods of the pandemic, and which was founded on the profound insight of making KFC staples part of every Malaysian’s household cooking.

In his new role, Nazarullah will be overseeing Ogilvy’s entire NESTLE business, including MILO, Nestlé Omega Plus, Nestlé Health Science, and Wyeth Nutrition. He will be working alongside Creative Directors Jaz Lee and Shariar Ghafar, completing a trifecta of top-notch creative talent for the Malaysia office.

Adrian Miller, Ogilvy Malaysia’s chief creative officer, shared that this year the agency has a big ambition to win with work by putting ideas at the center of everything they do. 

“As trite as this sounds, it’s a sentiment that all too often gets lost in our business. Eddy has a digital-first, nuanced way of thinking that, coupled with local insights, will be pivotal in driving our vision to bring back the power of creative ideas and an audience mindset to Malaysia,” said Miller.

Nizwani Shahar, Ogilvy Malaysia’s chief executive officer, commented that Nazarullah is a transformative creative leader who is unparalleled in his effectiveness.

“Together with his creative leads, Adrian will be pivotal in driving strong branded experiences for our clients. I look forward to having Eddy onboard to continue to fuel the very best in creative ideas with our senior team. This is aligned with our larger creative strategy to fortify creative firepower across Ogilvy Malaysia and Singapore,” said Shahar.

Bangkok, Thailand – Thasorn Boonyanate, a creative veteran with over a decade of experience in the advertising and creatives industry, returns to BBDO Bangkok as its new chief creative officer.

The seasoned ad leader, who is also a musician, became part of the agency in his humble beginnings as a copywriter in 2021. In 2016, he moved to Shanghai and became BBDO Shanghai’s creative director. Boonyanate most recently comes from Wunderman Thompson as ECD. 

Boonyanate shared that the most important thing to an agency is when brands give enough playground and creative space in the collaboration. 

“This model also applies to how an agency team works together as well. Whenever you build trust among your teams, giving a “playground space for a brief” to planners, a “playground of negotiation and partnership” to client service teams, and a “playground of creativity” to creatives, then we will create work that all of us can feel proud as one team,” said Boonyanate.

Meanwhile, with the emergence of the metaverse world, Somkiat Larptanunchaiwong, CEO of BBDO Bangkok, believes that Boonyanate can help drive BBDO Bangkok to this up-and-coming world. 

“For BBDO Bangkok, creative is the heart and soul for creating smart and clever solutions for our clients. We need new energy that drives, motivates, and builds momentum for the Thai creative industry and Pete is the one. He is a leader of this new generation, a powerful creative, with a love of fresh work and fresh insight, hungry for the best work not only for awards but for real client solutions. He’s the one who pushes a local client to the global stage case by case… I believe this change will create excitement for the Thai advertising business indeed,” said Larptanunchaiwong.

Mumbai, India – Madison Media, the independent media agency in India, has appointed Kumar Siddharath, former director of brand solutions at global media network Omnicom Media Group (OMG), as the new head of Mates, the agency’s entertainment unit. 

Mates focuses on brand solutions including in-film associations, celebrity associations, and other ancillary services related to entertainment, content, and branding.

With over 14 years of experience, Siddharath joins Madison Media with a multi-faceted understanding of content marketing, partnership, and strategic alliances with a sharp focus on client servicing and business development. He has also worked with companies like Endemol, UTV, Viacom 18, and Reliance Broadcast Network, as well as production houses where he has produced big shows. 

Apart from production houses, Siddharath’s exposure ranges from sectors like broadcast, films, OTT, and print, as well as events. Prior to joining Madison, he has also set up his own esports and gaming company Oreka eSports. Siddharath has also worked on brands like Daimler, Ford, HP Laptop, and Hike over the years.

Commenting on his new role, Siddharath said, “I am excited to join Madison and look forward to creating a lot of interesting brand solutions that help our premium roster of clients create magic and meet their business goals.”

Meanwhile, Vikram Sakhuja, the partner and group CEO of Madison Media & OOH, commented, “I am excited to have Siddharath join our team and provide our clients’ brands content solutions and further strengthen our Madison Media offering, all under one roof.”

In August, Madison Media has also announced the elevation of Vandana Ramkrishna to the role of chief operating officer for its business unit, Madison Media Ace, where she will be overseeing the Kolkata operations of the agency, along with her Mumbai set of businesses.

Sydney, Australia – Australian multinational bank Commonwealth Bank has appointed Jo Boundy as its newest chief marketing officer and executive general manager at the same time. She will officially step into the CMO position in March 2022.

Boundy’s appointment follows the recent appointment of Monique Macleod as the new group executive marketing and corporate affairs back in August.

Macleod said she was pleased to be able to welcome someone as experienced and well revered across the industry as Boundy.

“I’m thrilled we have been able to attract a person of Jo’s talent to be our next chief marketing officer. Jo has more than 20 years global experience, having led marketing, customer, communication, digital and entertainment teams at a number of large commercial organizations including Optus, British Telecom, Google and, of course, Qantas, from where she joins us and played a key part in the group’s brand and marketing strategies,” she stated.

Boundy served with Qantas for 12 years, where he served as chief marketing officer as well for the airline group, their loyalty program Qantas Loyalty, and head of digital and entertainment.

Australia – Australia-based subscription television company, Foxtel Group, has appointed Marshall Heald, former director of content at public broadcasting firm Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), to assume the newly created leadership role of executive director of Foxtel Entertainment.

Heald brings with him 14-year career experience at SBS. He previously led the adoption of digital technologies and innovation across SBS, as well as the firm’s online presence.

In his new role, Heald will be responsible for the creative vision and editorial strategy for all content on the owned and operated Foxtel entertainment and movie channels, together with the presentation of all on demand content on the Foxtel IQ, Foxtel Now, and Foxtel Go products. This also includes on demand content from Foxtel’s channels, as well as third-party channels, sports channels, integrated third-party apps, and TVOD movies. 

Amanda Laing, Foxtel Group’s chief commercial and content officer, believes that Heald’s creativity and experience will help take the firm’s engagement to the next level across channels and on demand, supporting the investments they are continuing to make in Foxtel as a core part of the Group’s vision for the future.

“How we curate and present our content has never been more strategically important, and Marshall’s leadership will be an important element in driving our future success, to deliver on our ambitions and build on the momentum the Foxtel Group has established,” said Laing.

The appointment of Heald will be effective in March 2022.

This November, Foxtel has announced the rebranding of its loyalty program Foxtel First to Foxtel Reward, as well as the recent partnership with live entertainment company, Live Nation Australia, to bring Foxtel Rewards members unmissable live music events.

Bangalore, India – HiveMinds Innovative Market Solutions, the full-service digital marketing and consultancy firm by Madison World, has announced its expansion in Delhi-NCR with a new office in Gurugram.

HiveMinds specializes in performance marketing, display, e-commerce, and programmatic buying. It manages digital mandates for Domino’s, BigBasket, Coinswitch Kuber, and Trell, as well as e-commerce mandates for brands such as Crompton, P&G, and Nivea, as well as Saffola Honey, and Sugar cosmetics, among others.

Following this endeavor, HiveMinds has also appointed its vice president, Mohit Grower, as the new head of the new north branch. Grover brings with him intensive experience across insurance, travel, and entrepreneurial industries.

Commenting on his new role, Grover said “I feel after building businesses in the highly competitive travel industry for over a decade, this will be a great next phase of my career. I look forward to assembling a formidable team and delivering value to our clients in the region.”

Meanwhile, Jyothirmayee JT, HiveMind’s founder and CEO, shared that he is delighted to bring in a leader with high ownership and entrepreneurial spirit as their Delhi branch head.

“With the growing client roster, we feel that a senior team based in the region will be better placed to engage at the strategic level and contribute to overall growth for our clients,” said JT.

Sam Balsara, Madison World’s chairman, said, “With offices opening up gradually, the demand for on-site teams is also coming back. With Mohit at the helm, we’re now poised to expand our presence in North India to attract new clients and service the existing clients better.”

Mumbai, India – OMD, the media network of Omnicom Media Group in India, has elevated Anisha Iyer, former chief product officer, to be its new chief executive officer.

Iyer brings with her over 18 years of experience in the advertising business, with a niche in digital and technology. Prior to joining OMD in 2019, she previously worked with global media network Mindshare, advertising agency Madhouse, and media investment firm GroupM, where she delivered cutting-edge solutions and best-in-class strategy for a range of clients spanning FMCG, pharma, auto, travel, telecom, e-commerce, food, and retail businesses.

As the new CEO, Iyer will be responsible for leading the organizational vision and steering strategic goals across the business with a focus on leading future-ready teams. She will also be enhancing client relationships and delivering solutions across the board.

Commenting on her new role, Iyer said, “It’s a pivotal time for our industry and I am excited to navigate the tides in creative collaboration with stakeholders and driving OMD India to new avenues of growth and development.”

Meanwhile, Kartik Sharma, OMD’s group CEO for India, believes that with Iyer’s digital prowess and creative mindset, she will be able to lead the organization to greater heights and accelerate the momentum of growth.

“With her understanding of our clients, industry, and market, she is undoubtedly the inimitable successor for the role. We look forward to welcoming her back to India and working with stakeholders to unlock greater potential and empower our clients to make better decisions, faster,” said Sharma.