Hong Kong – Global news company South China Morning Post (SCMP) has appointed David Wightman, former group director of business operations at independent marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity, to assume the newly created role of global head of advertising.
Wightman brings more than two decades of industry experience, gained at the intersection of media, data, and technology. He has previously built and led local and international sales and operations teams within digital and traditional media companies.
Aside from his previous role at Ebiquity, Wightman has worked as the managing director of GroupM’s audience intelligence and activation solution arm [M]Platform, where he launched and scaled the regional programmatic, data, and technology division of GroupM APAC. He has also worked as the chief operating officer of sports publication GiveMeSport, where he overhauled the editorial and content marketing approach, increasing readership, revenues, and investment.
In his new role, Wightman will be spearheading the ongoing growth and international expansion of SCMP’s global advertising business, leading a department spanning Hong Kong, mainland China, Asia, the USA, and Europe. He will also be overseeing the company’s global media sales, marketing, and creative solutions, as well as branded content, and advertising technology, among others.
Commenting on his appointment, Wightman said that he is energized and enthused to be joining SCMP.
“The award-winning history of the brand, coupled with an innovative approach to how we harness data and technology, offers an unprecedented opportunity. I believe the future is very exciting for our company, our advertising partners, and our audiences,” added Wightman.
Gary Liu, SCMP’s CEO, commented that they are delighted to add a leader of Wightman’s global expertise and reputation, and they look forward to broadening their business reach and international relevance with his strategic, operational, and commercial experience.
“His C-suite exposure across the EMEA and APAC markets will greatly benefit SCMP’s growing portfolio of international clients,” said Liu.
Just recently, the news company’s advertising arm announced the launch of the next version of its existing brand sustainability tool, SIGNAL 2.0, which features a suite of new functions to help drive optimization for advertisers and brands in their return of investment (ROI).