Singapore – Yahoo has announced the appointment of Sona Iliffe-Moon as its new chief communications officer globally. She brings over 20 years of experience leading strategic consumer, crisis, and corporate communications for iconic brands including Facebook, Instagram, Nestle, Toyota, and, most recently, Lyft.

In her new role, she will be reporting directly to Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo; and will guide all aspects of Yahoo’s global communications strategy, overseeing corporate, consumer, and internal communications.

Moreover, she will promote innovation across Yahoo’s products and demonstrate the brand’s evolution, leading end-to-end communications that help consumers, partners, and employees connect with Yahoo’s mission, and will partner closely with Yahoo’s marketing to tell integrated stories at the intersection of earned and social.

Prior to joining Yahoo, Iliffe-Moon served as vice president of communications and a member of the executive leadership team at Lyft. She was responsible for communications across corporate, consumer, and policy as well as direct-to-consumer storytelling through brand social and content.

She also previously drove communications at both Facebook and Instagram, launching key products and programs including Instagram’s IGTV, Instagram Stories, Facebook Dating, Facebook Marketplace, Facebook Communities Summit, amongst others. She additionally oversaw communications across Nestlé’s beverage and international divisions, and spent nearly nine years at Toyota driving corporate and marketing communications.

Speaking on her new role, Iliffe-Moon said, “Yahoo was a huge part of my introduction to the internet, and today it remains a highly trusted guide with potential to play an even more meaningful role in people’s lives. I’m thrilled to join Jim and the rest of the executive team to help tell the story of what’s next.”

Meanwhile, Lanzone commented, “Sona has a proven track record in elevating influential brands, and we look forward to welcoming her to Yahoo at a pivotal inflection point in the company’s history. As Yahoo charts a new path forward and our story continues to unfold, Sona will be instrumental in shaping our narrative and sharing it with the world.”

New York City – Global mass media corporation TIME has named Kristin Matzen as their chief communications officer. Since Time split off on its own in 2018, Matzen is the latest in a series of senior leadership changes at the publication and is the first person to occupy said position.

In this role, Matzen will be overseeing all strategic communications for TIME, including corporate communications, media relations, editorial and event publicity, crisis communications, and more. 

Matzen will be reporting directly to TIME CEO Jessica Sibley, as well as collaborating with TIME’s executive team to advance strategic communications and reinforce the impact and relevance of TIME on a global scale.

Speaking on Matzen’s appointment, Sybil said that Matzen’s efforts in leading communications for TIME for the last five years, as well as her decade of communications and media relations experience, makes her suitable in fulfilling this role. 

Sybil added, “Kristin has deep knowledge of our brand, a passion for collaborating with and elevating individuals across TIME to bring visibility to their efforts and achievements, and an unwavering commitment to upholding TIME’s reputation to ensure that we continue to maintain the trust of consumers and partners around the world.”

Hong Kong – Multinational insurance company Manulife in Hong Kong has announced new members of its leadership team namely Thaddeus Yu as chief strategy officer and Alice Li as chief communications officer. Together, the executives will report directly to Patrick Graham, chief executive officer of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau.

Yu succeeds Carrie Tong, who was recently appointed as chief operations officer for Hong Kong and Macau

In his new role, Yu is responsible for setting the overall strategic priorities of the Hong Kong and Macau business, ensuring prudent choices, and executing plans aligned with the company’s priorities. He is also in charge of assessing necessary and effective changes to the company’s business model to ensure the company stays on course in achieving its strategic objectives.

With over 15 years of experience in various local and regional positions at Cigna, AIA, and Bank of Montreal Insurance, Yu joined Manulife’s Asia strategy team in 2021. During his time in his previous position, he led strategy development, spearheaded critical business initiatives, and provided guidance on strategic projects while also managing the Asia CEO office.

Meanwhile, Li’s responsibilities include leading strategy development for external and internal communication goals, building corporate reputation and a culture of pride, and promoting the company’s global Impact Agenda, aligned with Manulife’s global communications team and strategy.

With more than two decades of experience in corporate and marketing communications, Li is a seasoned professional who joined Manulife in 2020. Since then, she has made significant strides in the company’s communication strategy and impact. Prior to Manulife, her career spanned diverse industries, including energy, telecommunications, IT, and insurance, as she held senior positions with global brands such as Shell, SmarTone-Vodafone, Microsoft, and AXA.

Speaking on the new appointments, Graham said, “With their extensive knowledge of our company’s strategic priorities and their functional expertise, I am confident that the talented new members of our senior management team will be pivotal in driving us towards achieving our ambitions in Hong Kong, Macau and the broader GBA markets as we embark on the next phase of our growth agenda. Their appointments also highlight our ongoing commitment to harnessing top talent through an active leadership development pipeline.”

Singapore – Ogilvy today announced new senior leadership appointments in Asia, including B. Ramanathan (Ram)’s nomination as chief marketing officer for and Janet Tsai’s promotion as chief communications officer

Through the appointments, both appointees will work hand in hand to strengthen Ogilvy’s position as a creative partner for growth, developing and promoting new modern offerings across Ogilvy’s five business units across content, data and technology.

In his new function, Ram will lead Ogilvy’s go-to-market approach in Asia, responsible for accelerating marketing and new business efforts. An agency veteran of 22 years, Ram most recently served in a dual position as chief executive officer for Ogilvy Indonesia and Bates CHI & Partners Indonesia.

Following Ram’s regional promotion, Ogilvy’s operations in Indonesia will now be led by Sieg Penaverde, who previously assumed the chief operating officer role in the country. 

Meanwhile, Tsai’s appointment is added to her existing role as VP for marketing and communications for Ogilvy China and global lead for Ogilvy’s Outbound Practice. In the added role, she will work closely with Ram to elevate Ogilvy’s reputation, promote new offering and services, and showcase the impact of borderless creativity to drive Ogilvy’s clients business growth. 

Tsai is a seasoned leader with PR, brand building, crisis management and integrated content planning experience across a number of industries including technology, finance, auto, entertainment, fashion and luxury.

Kent Wertime, chief executive officer for Ogilvy Asia, said, “Ram has been a terrific leader for our business in Indonesia. He has a huge heart for our clients, for our staff, and for the work we do to help grow our brands make an impact in the world. We are incredibly excited to have Ram at the helm of our marketing and growth function to help our clients push boundaries and make the most of the opportunities in this part of the world.”

Meanwhile, Chris Reitermann, chief executive for Ogilvy Asia and Greater China, commented, “Janet has played an instrumental role in leading corporate communications in China in addition to her client-facing duties for our China Outbound Practice. Her strong expertise and performance in China made her a natural candidate to take the reins of our regional communications as we enter a new exciting growth phase.”