Tag: Appointments

Singapore – International express service provider DHL Express has announced several strategic leadership changes in Asia Pacific, with Yung C. Ooi as the new senior vice president for commercial APAC, Andy Chiang as managing director in Hong Kong and Macau, Ji Hun (Michael) Han as managing director in Korea, and Chee Choong Ng as managing director in Taiwan.

The latest appointment changes and elevations aim to strengthen DHL Express’ leadership team and foster the business’ growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

In his new role as SVP for commercial, Yung will spearhead the company’s commercial strategy, working to seize business growth opportunities in APAC. He will be taking over from Yasmin Khan, who has now retired after 23 years of service at DHL Group.

Yung brings with him his extensive experience in sales management and brand marketing communications to his new appointment. He previously served as DHL Express’s managing director in Taiwan, where he successfully led the team on a yield-focused growth path to achieve solid revenue and EBIT results.

Applying his knowledge of data analytics, he will continue to focus on improving the customer experience to solidify the company’s position in the region.

Meanwhile, Chiang, in his newly appointed position, will continue to build on the company’s legacy of reliability and adaptability as he steps in as the new managing director for DHL Express Hong Kong and Macau. Prior to his appointment, he was the head of global strategic finance for DHL Express.

With a career spanning more than 30 years and in various countries and regional finance roles, Chiang will use his strong finance background to lead a robust network, including one of DHL’s three global hubs located in Hong Kong, four service centres, and approximately 750 retail outlets and service points.

Also transitioning to his new role as managing director for DHL Express Korea, Han will tackle the role of leading the Korea team in delivering results and exceeding business targets as they harness customer opportunities in one of the world’s largest e-commerce markets. He will take over from Byung Koo Han, who has also decided to retire after 16 years at DHL Group.

Han formerly served as vice president for commercial at DHL Express Korea. He brings with him an expansive portfolio in sales, marketing, and general management in the retail and pharmaceutical industries.

Lastly, with more than 20 years of experience across various operational roles, logistics veteran Ng will now head DHL Taiwan as its new managing director. In this promotion, he will be responsible for expanding the company’s presence and strengthening customer relationships.

He previously served as managing director for DHL Express Hong Kong and Macau in 2020, where he led the team to overcome several challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

All four of the newly appointed heads are part of the Asia-Pacific Management Board.

Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific, said, “Asia Pacific is a key driver for global growth. There are tremendous opportunities here that we are keen to leverage. As we prepare for global trade recovery, I am confident that the team will lead the way in our region. We always take pride in our commitment to nurturing talent from within. This is a testament to our dedication to fostering growth and offering rewarding career progression opportunities within our company.”

APAC– VML has announced the appointment of a new in-market leadership team for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. 

The announcement comes as Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, both WPP creative firms, join together to form VML.

With more than 5000 workers spread across 25 offices in 13 APAC markets, the newly designed organisation hopes to provide improved service for VML’s clientele all throughout the area. It includes industry professionals with deep local knowledge and broad experience in commerce, brand experience, and customer experience.

In APAC, VML works with a wide range of customer partners in several different industries. Ford, The Coca-Cola Company, HSBC, Unilever, Nestle, GSK, Zespri, and other companies are among its clientele.

With principal offices in Shanghai, Singapore, Mumbai and Sydney and led by the newly appointed VML APAC Co-CEOs Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay, the reorganisation includes naming regional market leaders, which will take effect on January 1, 2024.

In Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Tom Tearle, CEO of VMLY&R ANZ, becomes CEO of VML ANZ, while Gavin Bain, CEO of Wunderman Thompson Australia, becomes VML Chief consulting officer, ANZ, and managing director, Perth, Australia.

In Singapore, Wunderman Thompson CEO Nimesh Desai has been named VML CEO for the region. Rhys Taylor, who is currently the managing director of VMLY&R in Singapore, takes on the role of VML chief client officer, focusing on assuring the delivery of VML’s full spectrum of capabilities to clients.

In Indonesia, Wunderman Thompson CEO Samir Gupte has been named CEO of VML Indonesia.

In Malaysia, Kenni Loh, CEO of VMLY&R Malaysia, has been appointed CEO of VML Malaysia.

Golda Roldan, CEO of Wunderman Thompson Philippines, has been appointed CEO of VML Philippines. 

Wunderman Thompson Thailand’s CEO, Parattajariya Jalayanteja, has been appointed CEO of VML Thailand.

Ha Nguyen, who is the CEO of VMLY&R in Vietnam at the moment, has been chosen to be CEO of VML Vietnam.

Kevin Zhu, who is the CEO of VMLY&R China at the moment, has been appointed as the CEO of VML China. Wunderman Thompson for Greater China CEO Carter Chow takes on the role of president at VML China.

Maggie Wong, CEO of Wunderman Thompson, has been appointed CEO of VML Hong Kong.

Ichiro Ota, the current CEO of VML & Ogilvy Japan, will remain in his position, while Akira Suzuki, the CEO of Wunderman Thompson Japan, will take over as COO of VML Japan.

Even Teng, the CEO of Wunderman Thompson Taiwan, has been named as the CEO of VML Taiwan. 

VML India is a principal office and regarded as an important market for the agency, prioritising the hiring of capable executives to direct their teams for the benefit of employees and clients. The announcement of India’s leadership is slated for the first quarter of 2024.

Speaking about the multiple appointments, Audrey Kuah, Co-CEO, VML APAC, commented, “We are thrilled to introduce our new APAC leadership team, who represent the cream-of-the-crop across two of the most awarded creative agencies in the region. As we unify our storied agencies, there is an exciting opportunity to redefine the possibilities of creativity and set the stage for more innovative and effective work.”

Meanwhile, Yi-Chung Tay, Co-CEO, VML APAC, said, “At VML we are dedicated to creating connected brands which matter to the consumer and drive growth for our client partners. Working closely with our leaders across our APAC network, we are well positioned to provide the best possible solutions to our clients’ most pressing business problems via an integrated suite of capabilities which are unsurpassed in the region.” 

Singapore – Enterprise experience platform Medallia, Inc. has announced the appointment of Nick Martin as its new senior vice president (SVP) of international to support the platform’s growth.

Martin will be based in London and will spearhead the company’s commercial organisation across the EMEA and APAC regions, ensuring that it will deliver value and tangible business outcomes for its clients.

In his new role, he will be responsible for the integral parts of Medallia’s future go-to-market strategy, which include expanding its customer base, growing its existing customer relationships, and building up its partner networks.

Martin brings with him a wealth of experience, having a career spanning more than 25 years in the industry. He previously served as the head of retail for the CPG and travel industries at Google Cloud. Prior to his appointment, he also held the position of head of enterprise industries at AWS.

From all the previous experience in his portfolio, he focused on driving customer value and growth, breaking down internal barriers to drive business success, and delivering better outcomes within customer-focused organisations.

Joe Tyrrell, CEO at Medallia, said, “The experience Nick brings to Medallia is invaluable, and we are thrilled to welcome him into this pivotal role. With a strong focus on customer relationships, he will fit in well with our incredible international team, and his expertise and leadership will help Medallia continue to lead the customer and employee experience space throughout the world.”

Singapore – Full sensory experience agency The Company We Keep (The CWK) has expanded its SEA team and offerings with the addition of Tam Xu as project director and Nicole Pow and Deon Tan as project managers.

In her new role, Xu will spearhead the delivery of bespoke projects for clients across the SEA region. She will nurture and train the team of producers that will be based on the newly-opened Singapore hub to ensure a stellar production powerhouse.

Xu will also be responsible for day-to-day project management across multiple departments, ensuring operational and financial discipline, delivery excellence, and resource optimisation.

Prior to her appointment at The CWK, she played a pivotal role in setting up the events and project management teams from scratch at MOI Global. As an event director, she led a growing team to manage end-to-end event planning and execution, building strong client relationships with companies such as Fujifilm, Google Cloud, Oracle, Red Hat, and UBS.

Meanwhile, in their new roles as project managers, Pow and Tan will be overseeing the CWK projects within the Singapore hub.

Pow, who brings with her 8 years of experience managing various events ranging from conferences, meetings, award ceremonies, and travel incentives, will also leverage her tech-savvy expertise in her new role.

On the other hand, Tan will take on a social and creative-heavy role. She brings 10 years of experience across events, sales, and marketing.

With the opening of the agency’s Singapore office earlier this year, they are now officially in operations and are working with clients such as Credit Suisse, WalkMe, Salesforce, and DocuSign.

Victor Darmawan, business director for Asia at The CWK, said, “I am incredibly excited about Tam, Nicole, and Deon joining the company, and I look forward to working closely with them to elevate Singapore as the next hub for The CWK. Together, we will continue to provide world-class service to our clients, fostering growth and success.”

Nigel Ruffell, CEO at The CWK, also shared, “The addition of Tam, Nicole, and Deon to our growing team is a testament to The Company We Keep’s remarkable success in the SEA region. Each of them brings a wealth of invaluable experience that will undoubtedly enhance our capabilities across APAC. With our expanding team and reinforced presence, we’re embarking on an exciting journey filled with limitless opportunities, and we eagerly anticipate the amazing work they will do.”

Meanwhile, commenting on her new role, Xu said, “The CWK has an envious reputation, and I’m thrilled to be part of the SEA team during an exciting growth phase. Together with Victor, I look forward to scaling new heights, building a team, and achieving new milestones for The CWK’s Singapore Hub.”

Australia – Digital advertising solutions company Kargo has announced three new hires in the Australian market as part of the company’s overall growth strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. They include Natasha Herbst, Jonty Saini, and Nina Johnston as new sales executives.

The new appointments are part of Kargo’s commitment to invest and expand in APAC in 2024 and plans to introduce a number of innovative new products and offerings in CTV advertising specifically. 

Moreover, the company is dedicated to creating a premium ecosystem that benefits both advertisers and publishers while maintaining a focus on transparent measurement for real results.

Neill Pitt, sales director at Kargo APAC, said, “APAC holds a pivotal role in Kargo’s global plans for 2024. We have launched a range of new omnichannel digital display ad units throughout this year, which have proved extremely popular.”

He added, “At the same time we have also witnessed tremendous interest in our unique enhanced CTV pre-roll products as well as our proprietary social commerce and e-commerce solutions. We eagerly anticipate expanding our offerings to meet the surging demand in 2024 and have some incredible innovation set to launch early in the new year.”

Sydney, Australia – Media agency Initiative has announced the promotion of Ryan Haeusler to the newly created role of national head of communications design and Emma Greenhalgh to Sydney head of communications design.

The leadership promotions come as the media agency seeks to elevate its planning offerings for its clients.

Haeusler joined Initiative in 2015 and previously held the position of Sydney head of communications design. In his new role, he brings with him years of experience, including that of spearheading the LEGO account that has been recognised for its quality and innovative media planning in the ANZ marketplace.

Haeusler is also known for his innate ability to lead his team to consistently deliver idea-led, culturally empowered ecosystems that drive effectiveness, which is evident in the projects he has worked on before.

Meanwhile, Greenhalgh, in her appointment, will step in to take Haeusler’s former role as Sydney head of communications design. Prior to her role, she served as the communication design director for IAG.

Greenhalgh strongly advocates for industry causes and has been instrumental in leading planning for NFP “WhatAbility”,  a disability support service that specialises in community service.

Both promotions are effective immediately, and Greenhalgh will be reporting directly to Haeusler. The latter will also report directly to the chief strategy and product officer, Chris Colter.

In these new appointments, Colter shared that he couldn’t be prouder to recognise the talents of two of the agency’s most outstanding team members and expand their remit further across the agency and their clients.

He said, “Ryan and Emma are two fiercely intelligent, collaborative, and creative craft leaders and have been the driving force behind a lot of Initiative’s success and the success of our clients. They have a proven track record in making the impossible possible, in architecting some of the most integrated, innovative, and, most importantly, effective work for our clients, and in designing new planning solutions that keep us on top of our game. I can’t wait to see them create the next era of Initiative.”

Meanwhile, on his promotion, Haeusler said, “I’m thrilled to be extending my remit into the Melbourne and Perth markets and to get access to all the amazing people and clients that come with it. Initiative has always put a major focus on strategic media planning as a craft, so I’m super excited to see what Emma and I can build (and break) to make it even better.”

Greenhalgh also added, “Initiative’s culture encourages high achievers to aim for the top, and I love the fast-paced environment. Ryan’s shoes are big ones to fill, but I am confident I can bring new perspectives to the role and continue to help our clients stay ahead of their competitors via an enhanced comms design offering and thought leadership.”

Tokyo, Japan – International advertising agency dentsu has recently announced the launch of its ‘global practices structure’ along with key leadership appointments, led by Jean Lin, group president – global practices, Dentsu Group Inc.

These developments emphasise dentsu’s ambition to build highly integrated, people-centred, end-to-end solutions, as well as its commitment to its enduring global leadership brands including Carat, iProspect, dentsu X, Dentsu Creative, Merkle and Tag.

Moving on to the appointments, Yasuharu Sasaki becomes global chief creative officer, leading dentsu’s global creative practice. In this new role, Sasaki will be responsible for driving expertise to unlock the full potential of Dentsu Creative’s capability and impact across all practice areas. 

On the other hand, Will Swayne becomes global practice president – media, where he will be building a winning media practice community that delivers continued excellence in its offerings, driving client growth and transformation. 

Lastly, Pete Stein becomes global practice president – CXM, in this role, he will partner with all four Regions to ensure the implementation of the dentsu transformation agenda and global CXM practice initiatives in region and market.

Talking about the new global practice structure and appointments, Lin said, “With the creation of our Global Practices, dentsu is making a statement about what the future of integrated, end-to-end client solutions will look like. We’re removing the barriers and that will allow us to do just that in a way which very few others in the industry can match.”

“I’m so proud to bring together this new line-up of global practice leads and, in turn, their leadership teams, to do just that – unlock the potential of dentsu’s integrated capabilities to help our clients not only grow, but answer some of the greatest challenges of our time,” she added. 

Meanwhile, Hiroshi Igarashi, president and CEO, Dentsu Group Inc., said, “Under Jean’s leadership, within our Global Practice structure, we count many of the world’s most respected and historic agency brands, full of deep expertise and differentiated services. By creating a cross-service structure, we are simultaneously integrating those capabilities while ensuring clients can still benefit from distinct knowledge.”

London, UK – Multinational creative communications company WPP has announced the merger of two of its creative agencies, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R, to form creative company VML.

VML unites the capabilities of the two creative agencies in commerce, customer experience, and marketing technology to provide an improved set of offerings to its clients.

The creative company will be equipped to support clients on creative brand growth strategy and transformation initiatives, all powered by best-in-class data operations, technology platforms, and partnerships with various technology companies. It will also provide an exceptional offer for healthcare companies and B2B marketers.

Combining VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson’s respective client bases, functional expertise, and geographic strengths, VML will have a hold on more than 30,000 people in 64 markets.

Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R were both launched in 2018 and since then have experienced sustained growth and amassed a breadth of expertise, having worked on client development, new business, and acquisitions.

Both agencies have partnered with multiple clients across the globe, including Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Ford, Microsoft, Nestlé, The Coca-Cola Company, and more.

With the merger, the parent company WPP also announced immediate leadership appointments, including Debbi Vandeven as global chief creative officer; Eric Campbell as global chief client officer; Juan Pablo Jurado as CEO for LATAM; Ewen Sturgeon as CEO for EMEA; and Audrey Kuah and Yi-Chung Tay to be co-CEOs for APAC.

Meanwhile, Jon Cook becomes the global CEO at VML, and Mel Edwards will take on the role of global president, with the management team bringing together strong leaders from across both companies.

Cook said, “The future of building strong brands and businesses requires the interconnectivity of brand experience, commerce, and customer experiences. We recognised the immediate opportunity to create what every consultancy and advertising agency aspires to build with the formation of VML. We’re especially excited to present our new offering to the industry, as we don’t believe there is another company as creatively awarded with our depth in customer experience and commerce.”

Also commenting on the merger, Edwards shared, “This is the right suite of capabilities, offered at just the right moment, at unprecedented scale. It’s incredibly exciting because, with this new agency, we have the chance to shape the future of modern marketing in every key market around the world. The opportunities it affords our people and the growth we can deliver for our clients at a global scale make this a real game-changer for each business and the wider industry.”

Meanwhile, Mark Read, CEO at WPP, said, “Scale matters in today’s world as AI and technology transform marketing and global clients look to simplify their relationships. VML will combine world-class creativity with deep expertise in data, marketing technology, and platforms to deliver a competitive advantage for ambitious brands. It’s another important step forward for WPP as we continue to reshape our offer for the future, simplify our business, and unlock further benefits of scale.”

“Separately, Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R are two of WPP’s strongest and best-performing agencies. Together, they will deliver an even wider, fully integrated suite of capabilities to our clients in every market. Marketers today expect seamless links between their brand advertising and technology solutions and platforms. VML provides an immediate solution to this business imperative,” he added.

Hong Kong – Performance marketing agency NP Digital has made new senior hires, with Gary Cheung appointed as general manager for Hong Kong and Taiwan and Melissa Cheng as country manager for Malaysia, to fuel enterprise growth across its APAC markets.

The new hires will lead the expansion of NP Digital in their respective countries, collaborating closely with the agency’s APAC team, made up of recent hires Manuel Denoual, general manager of NP Digital Singapore, and Kris Casey, senior SEO lead.

In his new role as general manager for Hong Kong and Taiwan, Cheung brings with him over 15 years of performance marketing agency experience, unique skills, and valuable regional and global expertise to NP Digital. He has worked with APAC’s key growth sectors and has served previous roles at Publicis Media, SearchGuru, and iProspect.

Cheung’s extensive experience in digital performance marketing, coupled with his in-depth knowledge of Asia’s marketing landscape, will be valuable in leading the expansion of the agency.

On the other hand, Cheng, in her appointment as country manager, brings with her an extensive background in paid media expertise, having worked at ADA, AdColony, and Yahoo. Malaysia. She has a strong data analytics background relevant to NP Digital’s data-driven APAC clients.

The new hires will report to Dan Kalinski, the managing director of NP Digital for APAC.

Commenting on the new hires, Kalinski said, “In the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape, NP Digital is dedicated to reshaping success metrics, prioritising outcomes that drive profitability and scalability over vanity metrics. The addition of Gary and Melissa underscores our commitment to the APAC region. Gary’s extensive regional and global experience and Melissa’s media expertise align perfectly with our mission to deliver unparalleled results for our clients in Asia. They are poised to lead NP Digital’s expansion and innovation in the region in tandem with our strong APAC team.”

Singapore – Global business transformation agency Valtech has announced significant additions to its leadership team in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and North Africa (APMENA) region to drive growth, with Ralf Zink as the new chief operating officer and Shannon Dix as managing director for Southeast Asia and China.

The new additions to the leadership team are expected to strengthen the agency’s value proposition and growth ambitions as it continues to be a strategic business transformation partner to new and existing clients, like L’Oréal, Audi, Capital Land, and Mars.

The new hires will further aid Valtech in delivering its commitment to helping clients connect with their customers and generate value through technology and innovation, guiding them as they undergo a digital transformation journey. They will drive growth for both Valtech and its clients as they take advantage of the digital acceleration in the region.

In his new role as chief operating officer for APMENA, Zink is tasked with integrating and optimising operations across Valtech’s offices in the region. He will couple human-centric leadership with sustainable operational ecosystems to manage and build accountability, transparency, and collaboration across high-performing teams.

Previously serving as a COO for Publicis Sapient, Zink brings with him more than 15 years of experience as a commercially driven senior operations executive. He has a well-established history of successfully developing and implementing profitable growth strategies, having driven strategic market expansion for digital transformation organisations in the APAC region.

He will be vital in supporting the agency’s ambitions to scale capabilities and align with clients’ needs, giving clients access to the best people, consulting, technology, and experience expertise in the region.

Meanwhile, Dix, in his new role as managing director for SEA and China, will focus on expanding the agency’s client roster, capabilities, and talent in his assigned regions. He lends his growth-oriented leadership to ensure the agency continues to operate at the forefront of innovation as it continues to help brands keep pace with changing consumer needs in APAC’s fast-moving digital-first mobile economy.

He will also leverage business growth and talent to elevate Valtech’s position as the go-to business partner across Asia, which enables brands to realise their digital transformation ambitions, deliver customer-centric experiences, and navigate the region’s increasing adoption of digital technologies.

Dix has over 20 years’ experience within marketing transformation and has held various global and regional leadership roles both on the agency, consulting, and client sides. He has worked for Accenture, Publicis Sapient, and Wunderman, all of which are in the Asian market.

Zink and Dix’s appointment follows the opening of Valtech’s Thailand office and the hire of Patrick de Moustier as EVP and regional managing director for APMENA.

On the new hires, Patrick de Moustier said, “When you look at Valtech’s work globally and in the region, we have a strong foundation to build upon—thanks to our client work, partnerships, and in-house industry expertise.”

He added, “We’re embarking on a bold mission to unite the dynamic superregions of APAC and MENA, recognising their immense potential for economic growth and business success. The strategic move to fortify our leadership team is a clear reflection of our commitment. With the addition of Shannon and Ralf, we’re in a great position to deliver exceptional value to clients.”

In his new role, Zink said, “Valtech is a powerhouse in people-centred digital transformation, so I’m incredibly excited to begin my journey with the agency. People and culture create the perfect recipe for driving growth and client value when undergoing a digital transformation. I see huge potential in fostering our unique culture and cultivating enhanced skill sets to unlock business opportunities for Valtech in APMENA.” 

Also speaking in his appointment, Dix shared, “APAC is a strategic growth market for us, presenting an amazing opportunity for our business to evolve alongside our ambitious clients who are all experiencing a need to adapt to changing market conditions.”

“Our work speaks for itself. Whether it’s our multi-market work for L’Oreal, our connected mobility experience work for Audi, or our commerce tech for Mars, we help businesses overcome their transformation challenges and set themselves up for success now and into the future. I couldn’t be more excited to lead the next wave of growth alongside our incredible team,” he added.