Tag: head of strategy

Singapore – Global next-gen creative, tech and media group, MSQ, along with its branding and design consultancy, Elmwood, have announced the appointment of seasoned brand strategist Ambrish Chaudhry as head of strategy for Asia. 

In this role, Chaudhry will lead efforts to deepen the strategic offering across brand design, content, and communications, driving growth for the group’s rapidly expanding client base in Asia.

Chaudhry will work closely with the regional leadership team, including Celeste Cheong, managing director at Elmwood Singapore; Andy Edmonds, general manager at MSQ Asia; Angeline Kong, managing director at Elmwood Shanghai; and Susie Hunt, Asia chair at MSQ and Elmwood.

With over 20 years of experience, Chaudhry previously served as head of strategy at Design Bridge and Partners and has held senior roles within WPP across consulting, advertising, and market research. During this time, he has spearheaded high-profile branding initiatives across 20 markets and 4 continents. 

His work has primarily engaged C-suite stakeholders, delivering projects for globally renowned companies such as Coca-Cola, Meta, CapitaLand, Reckitt, Infosys, Lazada, Hero FinCorp, Mars, Mondelez, and HSBC, among others.

Speaking on his new role, he said, “Elmwood and MSQ are among the most exciting places to be in our industry today. It is a fast-growing group, structurally built for collaboration with an exciting array of specialisms such as branding, generative design, content creation, analytics and insights coming together seamlessly. Strategy has a key role to play in harmonising these capabilities to create tangible impact on businesses. I look forward to pushing the boundaries of this joined-up thinking and be a part of the work that elevates our clients’ brands.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Binns, CEO of Elmwood, commented, “Ambrish is the perfect fit to help us strategically strengthen our position in Asia as a full-service brand and experience design consultancy. His appointment, following Susie Hunt’s as Chair for Asia, demonstrates our commitment to the region’s growth and our investment in top talent. Together, they will drive impactful solutions and create new growth avenues for our clients.”

This appointment underscores Elmwood’s ongoing commitment to growth and its evolution as a full-service brand and design experience consultancy, equipped to address the complex challenges brands face as they build their growth platforms. 

Chaudhry’s extensive strategic expertise in brand building and his entrepreneurial mindset to leverage Elmwood and MSQ’s next generation technology, data and media capabilities will unlock new growth opportunities for clients across the region. 

Singapore – Global socially-led creative agency We Are Social has named Anton Reyniers as the new head of strategy for its Singapore office, succeeding James Honda-Pinder, who will relocate to Tokyo in October to assume the newly created role of head of growth APAC.

A recognised leader in creative and communications strategy, Reyniers brings two decades of experience spanning agency and client roles across APAC, the UK, and most recently, the Middle East. He returns to Singapore following his tenure as head of strategy at Impact BBDO in Dubai.

Over his career, Reyniers has held key roles at top global companies, including Netflix, where he led regional partner marketing creative for APAC, and Google, where he served as head of creative agency partnerships for the region. He has also driven creative strategies at leading agencies such as BBH, JWT, and Ogilvy, working with major clients like Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Lux, and the Singapore Tourism Board. During his time in Jakarta, Reyniers also chaired the Account Planning Group (APG) in Indonesia.

Speaking about his appointment, Reyniers stated, “The agency landscape now has two very extreme poles. Those that are nose-diving and those that are ascending. It was absolutely clear when speaking with Nai Yen and Kelson that We Are Social is very much in the latter. I feel very lucky to have joined such a great, nice, fast-thinking, and future-facing gang. I look forward to being part of an agency that delivers on the digital expertise and transformation our clients deserve.”

Nai Yen Wang, managing director of We Are Social Singapore, also commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Anton and his strategic and regional expertise to the We Are Social family. Anton comes with the perfect blend of agency and client-side experience, offering incredible insights into delivering transformative social-led marketing solutions for our clients. He is a great collaborator and business partner, and I look forward to driving the next wave of growth with him. I would like to thank James for his contribution to the agency over the last few years and wish him good luck as he steps into his exciting new role within the network.”

We Are Social Singapore, with a team of 80, works with brands like Samsung Mobile, HBO, UOB, and TikTok. The agency is renowned for its innovation, including virtual influencer creation, social-first production, and the development of AI and XR products for its global strategy and innovation arm, .XYZ.

Tokyo, Japan – McCann Japan has recently appointed Charlotte Auyeung as its new head of strategy. Her appointment took effect in February 1 this year. 

She has over 20 years of account management and strategic planning experience at global advertising agencies including McCann and Leo Burnett in Hong Kong, Beacon Communications, Naked Communications and TBWA/Hakuhodo in Tokyo, where she led the strategies for companies such as P&G, The Coca-Cola Company, McDonald’s, IKEA, Airbnb, H&M and more.

In 2019, she took on a marketing role at Netflix Japan, where she led campaigns for popular shows including “Stranger Things,” “The Naked Director,” and “Alice in Borderland.”

Speaking on his new role, Auyeung said, “I’m thrilled to join McCann, whose mission to help brands earn a meaningful role in people’s lives aligns deeply with my own. Alongside our talented strategists and embracing McCann’s philosophy of ‘Truth Well Told’, I am eager to cultivate a team dedicated to uncovering consumer insights and brand stories rooted in truth, crafting strategies that inspire actionable solutions and creative excellence across platforms, growing brand and business for our valued client partners.”

Meanwhile, Takashi Aoki, representative director and president at McCann Japan commented on the appointment, “I am very excited to welcome Char to our leadership team. She is the ideal strategist to help us evolve McCann’s one-of-a-kind mission and philosophy in a modern way. She brings the expertise, experience and leadership we need to redefine our digitally-driven integrated solutions to grow our clients’ businesses and accelerate our transformation to become a more innovative agency partner for our clients.”

Lastly, Shilpa Sinha, chief strategy officer at McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific, said, “I am delighted to welcome Char to the APAC Strategy Leadership Community. Char brings a wealth of strategic experience, building power brands that have shaped culture. She also demonstrates the perfect combination of a thinking and doing growth mindset, a fundamental for strategy leaders of the future. I cannot think of a better person to drive meaningful and effective creativity for our clients.”

Malaysia – Malaysia Airlines has appointed Juliana Chua as its new head of brand, strategy, and creative. Chua shared the announcement on a personal LinkedIn update.

Chua brings with her more than 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising, working with media, creative, and event agencies. In her last stint, she was with mattress company Sonno as head of marketing.

In addition, she also headed the brand and marketing of technology solutions provider Vettons. She has also worked with Kuala Lumpur Pavilion as its general manager of brand and marketing. Moreover, she also assumed the general manager position of branding agency Ignite.

Her other notable roles include being the business director and head of activation at advertising agency TBWA Kuala Lumpur, brand manager and planning director at media agency Zenith Media, and senior account manager at media investment company GroupM.

Sydney, Australia – Sydney-headquartered digital agency Orange Line has appointed Adam Donnelley as its new head of strategy, where he will be leading the development and implementation of strategic initiatives for the agency’s portfolio of clients across various industries.

In the new role, Donnelley will be leveraging his expertise in customer insights, CX, digital transformation, and business strategy.

Prior to joining Orange Line, Donnelley was senior director of client strategy and innovation at IT company Capgemini. He has also worked at leading digital consultancies and agencies in Australia and the US including RXP Group, DDB Sydney, and MRM/McCann.

Speaking on his appointment at the agency, Donnelley said, “Orange Line have had great success fusing digital, performance and creativity – a combination clients need more than ever. The real business impact they have is testament to the depth of capability, rigour and culture they have nurtured.”

David Klein, co-founder and director at Orange Line also shared his excitement over Donnelley’s appointment.

“We are delighted that someone with Adam’s extensive experience and reputation is joining Orange Line as we continue to evolve the business to meet the needs of our clients. His insights will be invaluable to ensure we are delivering the best digital strategic consultancy for our clients,” he said.

The consultancy-led agency also works with leading brands including AWS, Atlassian, Blue Nile, Roche, and Noom on SEO, paid media, conversion rate optimisation, creative, data and intelligence.

Australia – Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R has announced the appointment of Rachel Walker as the agency’s head of strategy for its Melbourne and Sydney teams. She will be responsible for connecting the client’s business growth with creative excellence across the Sydney and Melbourne client portfolios while strengthening and scaling the agency’s strategic offering.

Walker brings with her a strong background in client partnerships. During her stint in VCCP and fellow WPP agency Grey in London, she’s engaged various brands including Sage.com, Britvic, P&G, Cathay Pacific, Kenco, Kiwi.com, and Sixt rent a car.

Ali Tilling, chief strategy officer of VMLY&R ANZ said that she’s delighted to have Walker in their team. She added, “Her experience in developing strategy that drives creative and effective work is extremely strong, and she will be instrumental as we create deeper connections to deliver growth for our client partners.”

Meanwhile, Sarah Bailey, managing director of VMLY&R in Melbourne and Sydney, added, “Rach has already had such a positive impact since she joined our team and we’re loving the perspective she is bringing to the work. I am really excited about where she will take our already strong strategy smarts.”

Commenting on her appointment, Walker said, “I’m delighted to have relocated from London to join VMLY&R, working with the talented team here, and having the exciting opportunity to partner with clients such as the Australian Defence Force.”

Singapore – Edelman has appointed Jenny Granger as the head of strategy for health in Asia-Pacific, which reflects the firm’s strategic focus on handling clients in the pharmaceutical, medical technology and consumer wellness space.

At Edelman, Granger will work closely with client leaders, creative teams and clients themselves to help address some of the most pressing challenges currently facing the sector, in order to provide cut-through communications and marketing strategies. 

Her appointment will further build the foundation Edelman’s health business has built around cross-regional expertise, with teams working across the region to service clients. Granger will focus on integrating creative and strategy with Edelman’s health teams across Asia.

A senior communications strategist and market researcher with more than 20 years of experience in integrated marcoms strategy for prescription and OTC brands, Granger joins Edelman after leading her own strategy and research consultancy with a focus on go-to-market and growth strategies across health and wellness, pharmaceuticals, beverage industries and not-for-profits.

Speaking on her appointment, Granger says, “Edelman’s attraction is its unique set of strengths for knowing how to build ‘Trust through Action’. I’m looking forward to working with some great minds in technology, strategy, and creativity across the APAC region to create impactful health communications for our clients, who themselves are doing extraordinary work for their customers and patients.”

Meanwhile, Will Collie, vice chair of health for Edelman in APAC, commented, “As expectations of the communications and marketing function become more focused on driving real business outcomes, Edelman’s health clients need to know that we are putting strategy expertise at the centre of our consulting. The communications and marketing environment has become complex, so we are deliberately building teams that think broadly around the entire health business ecosystem, providing a focused and strategic perspective to the issues our clients face.”

Collie adds, “We’re building teams with no boundaries, bringing the best minds to our clients regardless of where they’re based. Our integrated approach, coupling data, insights and health expertise to deliver high-impact creative engagement, sets us apart. The addition of these deep-rooted Health experts, with their knowledge of the region and insights at the local level, strengthens our capabilities both across APAC as a region as well as in local markets where clients are operating on the ground.”

Singapore – Bonsey Jaden, a digital marketing and advertising agency backed by digital technology group CUE, has appointed Marvin Duval, former strategy partner at Digital APAC, to be its new head of strategy.

In his new role, Duval will be helping ready the smaller teams at Bonsey Jaden for new competition, while restructuring for smoother, more efficient collaboration internally.

Duval assumes the role with well-rounded experience beginning in the mid-2000s, with the initial goal of leaning towards the more creative aspects of advertising. Having handled communications, media, and consultancy throughout his career, Duval recalls a distinct lack of precision and insight in the industry at large; as the decade closed, he saw greater promise in the world of digital media. His overall interest in history, geopolitics, and current events keeps him flexible in his current role.

Moreover, Duval’s career has taken him back and forth between Europe and Asia, and touched on several points of the overall campaign process. He has worked with brands from a wide spectrum of industries, including projects with Tommy Hilfiger, Nestle, and FrieslandCampina. Over the years, he has learned the value of making brands and his own team as close to future-proof as possible, always keeping an eye out for the changes in tech in relation to the work, and tailoring strategy accordingly.

Commenting on his appointment, Duval said, “I have found that [Bonsey Jaden’s] culture demonstrates the antithesis of that. Here, we seem to understand fully that while skills are assets, we can’t always depend on our strengths—understanding and acknowledging weaknesses in one another can spell the difference between a campaign that works and a campaign that changes minds.”

Meanwhile, Daniel Posavac, co-founder and group CEO at Bonsey Jaden, shared that bringing Duval into the team is a huge step forward for them, and he truly believes that the future of their company and the branding landscape as a whole lies with those who know the rules well enough to be able to bend them and break them.

“Head of Strategy is a pivotal role for us because it sits at the intersection of data, technology, and creativity – and with his life and business experience, Marvin is perfect for the role,” said Posavac.

Most recently, Bonsey Jaden has appointed Sherwin Kukreja, former head of social media at digital telco Yoodo, to be its new head of social media. This new role is Kukreja’s re-entry into the agency end of the digital marketing and branding world.

Hong Kong – Wunderman Thompson in Hong Kong has announced new appointments in its creative and strategic leadership teams namely Wilson Ang as executive creative director and Anant Deboor as head of strategy.

Ang was previously the group creative director at JWT while Deboor had spent more than a decade within the agency.

Ang joins the agency as one of the first creative leaders applying creativity and innovation into digital transformation for clients. In the past 20 years, Ang has worked on Hong Kong and regional accounts as varied as AIA, Disneyland, HSBC, IKEA, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble and Samsung with over 10 of these years in digital and traditional leadership roles. 

Speaking on his appointment, Ang said, “2022 is destined to be a year of transformation. There are a few things at the core of this celebrated agency, and network at large, that strongly resonate with me. Whether it is an unabashed love for ideas or the wonderful management team one gets to learn from. WT is bubbling with opportunity, and I’m looking forward to working with WT’s creative force to explode its massive potential.”

Meanwhile, Deboor brings a wealth of varied experience, previously working client-side as a global head of strategic marketing, independent board-level marketing strategy consultant and advertising/branding agency-side business leader and planner across Asia-Pacific.

On his appointment, Deboor commented, “As someone who cut his teeth in the ‘thinking, planning’ Thompson world, it gives me immense pleasure to return to the family. New name, newer more advanced capabilities but the same awesome people, and still the same culture and feeling. Wunderman Thompson is home. And really looking forward to doing my bit to help WT Hong Kong return to being the biggest, baddest, most lusted after agency office in all of Asia-Pacific.”

Speaking on the appointments, Maggie Wong, chief executive officer at Wunderman Thompson Hong Kong, said, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Anant and Wilson back to bolster our strategy and creative teams. Wilson brings with him the passion and expertise in fusing creativity and technology to deliver innovative and meaningful solutions. Anant is an accomplished strategist with decades of experience. I’m confident that they’ll inspire fresh perspectives and collectively take Wunderman Thompson HK to new heights.”

Meanwhile, Sheung Yan Lo, regional chief creative officer at Wunderman Thompson, commented on Wilson Ang’s arrival, “Wilson used to work with us in JWT and it’s great to welcome him back to our new family, Wunderman Thompson. He is one of the very rare creative talents in Asia who embraces data, technology and creativity in work to solve clients’ market challenges.”

Mumbai, India —The Indian division of the media agency network, OMD, has appointed Charul Tomar as its new head of strategy. She will be reporting to Anisha Iyer, CEO of OMD India.

Tomar holds an extensive understanding of the media industry with over 13 years of diverse experience having worked with leading market research and media agencies, like Kantar, Nielsen, and Mindshare, Tomar brings with her robust cross-functional experience in the market research, insights, and strategy and media analytics.

In her role at OMD, she will be spearheading impactful, strategic initiatives across the board, building upon existing strengths, and driving the next stage of OMD India’s growth story while working with key stakeholders to build a strong, strategic foothold in the region. She will also be in charge of accelerating efforts around nurturing a culture where attention and empathy are treated as valuable currencies to take a more humanistic approach towards the client and people relationships.

Furthermore, advancing the mandate of the organization, she will be instrumental in augmenting the Red Spine – OMD India’s nerve centre, ensuring that each component of the system remains interconnected in an efficient way. With a spotlight on furthering Omni’s potential and an emphasis on leveraging OMD Design – the robust and highly-adaptive end-to-end process by OMD, she is all set to further capitalize on emerging trends and make complex decisions faster. In essence, Tomar will be navigating OMD India in bold new directions to achieve exponential growth and success.

Speaking on the appointment, Iyer shared, “We are stoked to have Tomar on board with us. She is a fine strategic leader and frontrunner when it comes to having a pulse on the confluence of consumer, brand and insights.”

Iyer added, “Her appointment comes at a time when OMD India is undergoing significant momentum and one that is fuelled by the most promising talent in the industry. I am certain that Tomar’s valuable expertise, combined with her drive and commitment, will help us take our offerings to new heights. The future looks promising!”

Simultaneously, Tomar, said, “I am truly excited to be on board with OMD India, chiefly due to their commitment to futureproofing and their ability to adapt and innovate in an ever-changing marketplace. The agency exudes a strong vision and energy on the back of an exciting 2022 it has had so far, and I look forward to leveraging my experience to formulate game-changing strategies and deliver scalably business solutions, all while keeping empathy and attention at the core of what we do.”

With Tomar joining the team, the agency now has three highly driven and seasoned women leaders at the top. Iyer’s grand vision is one where diversity plays a huge role in growth and development and provides everyone equal opportunity to prove themselves, making talent the most valued asset.