Singapore The media and marketing solutions subsidiary of Interpublic Group , IPG Mediabrands, has announced that Kristine Biti has been appointed as the head of KINESSO in Asia-Pacific. Biti will be based in Singapore at the KINESSO Regional Headquarters, reporting to Leigh Terry, the CEO of IPG Mediabrands Asia-Pacific. On Thursday, April 11th, her appointment will become effective.

The announcement comes after Matt Ware was promoted to CEO for Japan at IPG Mediabrands. 

Biti takes over as APAC Head of KINESSO, IPG Mediabrands’ tech-driven performance agency, and leads a team of over 1000 digital experts across 11 markets. They work in digital media, marketing automation, advanced analytics, commerce, and AI. 

Biti has 15 years of expertise in advertising, marketing, and technology in Asia Pacific, and she specialises in driving regional expansion, strategic collaborations, and organisational transformation within the industry. Her previous work includes as APAC head of operations, client, and growth at Media.Monks.

Commenting about Biti’s appointment, Leigh Terry, CEO IPG Mediabrands APAC, said, “Kris has a great reputation for driving operational excellence and commercial transformation. Her deep-seated knowledge of marketing technology paired with an unrivalled passion and tenacity for the forward progress of this industry, make her the perfect hire to lead our digital performance specialists across the Asia-Pacific region. We are very excited to have her on board.” 

Meanwhile, Biti stated, “I am joining KINESSO at a time of exponential technological advancements, ever shifting consumer behaviour and heightened privacy scrutiny. More than ever, brands are seeking expertise and agility as they navigate the complexities of data, analytics, and their technology stack. The combination of KINESSO’s innovative solutions, top-tier services, and exceptional talent is the winning combination to propel our clients forward.”

She added, “It is an honour to have the opportunity to work with Leigh, his seasoned leadership team and legendary KINESSO crew across the world. I am looking forward to taking the APAC business to new heights.”

Singapore – IPG Mediabrands, the media holding company within Interpublic Group, announced the launch of its newest tech-driven performance unit, KINESSO, which delivers real intelligence to move brands forward.

KINESSO is uniquely positioned to unify the data derived from a brand’s full marketing system into one renowned, intelligent, growth-driving capability.

The new unit brings together the collective power of brands Kinesso, Reprise, and Matterkind to form an engine that is expected to deliver accelerated growth for the company.

KINESSO performance solutions, end-to-end media activation and optimisation, global capability centres, and data and technology prowess are expected to provide an even more holistic and integrated approach to servicing and ensuring the success of IPG Mediabrands clients.

With its launch, it will have an extensive offering spanning performance marketing, data, and technology and is poised for digital excellence via advanced capabilities including progressive search engines, digital experiences, platform intelligence, media activation, AI, and audience development.

KINESSO, created with a deep understanding of consumer behaviour, offers an end-to-end engine of planning and optimisation. It will deliver on data-driven strategy for social platforms, actionable growth in e-commerce, and creating curated marketplaces specific to each client’s function and needs.

The unveiling of the new tech unit is rooted in the company’s understanding of the rapidly shifting media landscape brought about by developments in technology.

Jarrod Martin, global CEO at KINESSO, said, “KINESSO by definition means movement and change, and that is what we’re bringing to the forefront of this new business. We’re here to help our clients win and make sure those wins stand out above the rest. KINESSO will make up the most efficient and powerful operating system in the   marketueled by an infrastructure that allows all our agencies to function with agility and consistency in a global capacity.”

Meanwhile, Eileen Kiernan, Global CEO of IPG Mediabrands, also shared, “This is an important time in our history to build upon the collective success of Matterkind, Reprise, and Kinesso. Positioned at the heart of IPG Mediabrands, KINESSO will expand horizons for our clients by prioritising excellence in the future of media, superior value delivery, and a commitment to innovation, breaking down industry barriers. We’re excited to bring this offering to our clients and drive actionable growth for their businesses.”

Sydney, Australia – IPG’s connected intelligence company, Kinesso, has elevated Clay Gill, the current CEO at Matterkind Australia, to be its new CEO for Australia. As part of his new remit, Gill will retain his Matterkind leadership role while adding responsibility for Kinesso Australia’s data and technology solutions.

Gill noted that marketers can engage IPG from start to finish knowing that the design of their digital marketing requirements from CDP to media activation is fully transparent and effective, and that the company’s supply path optimisation agenda is also unparalleled globally, as it’s fully auditable and accountable – ensuring every dollar spent in media is validated.

He further shared, “IPG offers its clients an end-to-end solution across Martech, Adtech and Media activation using First Party Data at a deterministic level. Where insight and scalability are a challenge for the industry, IPG’s full-stack offering provides clients [with] an unmatched ability to extend beyond their own eco-system and or access a quick-to-market data solution through Acxiom’s Infobase.”

“We are by far ahead of the cookie crumble and very much leading the way towards connecting consumers with their brands. I am excited about what the future holds and the expanded offering for our clients,” said Gill.

Meanwhile, Mark Coad, CEO at Mediabrands Australia, commented that Gill is an outstanding leader and the extension of his role is a testament to his leadership qualities and the great work Matterkind continually produces for its clients.

He added, “In his new role, Clay’s primary responsibility will be to ensure clients have a single, simplified engagement experience with Acxiom, Kinesso and Matterkind; companies that work closely together as part of the data, technology, and media activation backbone of IPG.”

Matt Ware, CEO at Kinesso APAC, said, “Clay and his team have established an industry reputation for craft, innovation, and client servicing and I’m confident with his industry knowledge and zeal for innovation and solving client problems, combined with the calibre of his team, that he will be well positioned to bring the full spectrum of Kinesso and Matterkind capabilities to life. I am delighted he has taken on the expanded leadership role”

As part of the new Matterkind/Kinesso leadership team, Michael Whiteside, former head of Melbourne/Perth, will be moving to the role of national managing director of Matterkind, while Kim Kho, previously UM’s director of Biddable Media, Australian Government, will be taking on the role of national head of trading at Matterkind. Additionally, Matterkind also welcomes Georgina Fox, former head of operations at GroupM’s Finecast, to be its new national head of strategic investment and partnerships. 

On the appointment of his new team, Gill said, “As a leader, nothing is more pleasing than recognising talent and promoting from within plus onboarding innovative leaders of the future. In Michael, Kim, and Georgina I am confident the business has the skills, knowledge and creativity to offer our clients truly world-class end-to-end business solutions.”

Singapore – Kinesso, the connected intelligence company under IPG, has appointed Matt Ware, the current managing director for APAC at Matterkind, to be its new CEO for APAC. With this appointment, Ware will still retain his leadership responsibilities at Matterkind.

In his new role as CEO for APAC, Ware will be streamlining support for Kinesso’s largest IPG partner, Mediabrands, and capitalising on growth opportunities as the company continues to evolve its business both inside and outside the IPG network.

Commenting on his appointment, Ware said that the new structure ensures clients have a single, simplified engagement experience with Kinesso and Matterkind, companies that work closely together as part of the data, technology, and media activation backbone for IPG.”

“I’m excited to bring to life our ability to design and deliver integrated solutions across the breadth of our offerings for clients across APAC,” he added.

Aside from Ware, there are three new regional CEOs, who will also retain their Matterkind leadership responsibilities, namely, Andy Butters, CEO for EMEA, Jorge Chavez, CEO for LATAM, and Sean Muzzy, CEO for North America.

Ware and the newly appointed regional CEOs will serve as a single point of contact for Kinesso and Matterkind services and solutions. Clients will benefit from the end-to-end solution sets and additional innovations Kinesso and Matterkind develop as they work more cross-functionally and globally.

Arun Kumar, the chief data and technology officer at IPG and the global CEO at Kinesso, believes that putting regional CEOs in place supports the kind of horizontal integration that will spark additional innovation at Kinesso.

“Innovation happens everywhere. Matt, Andy, Jorge, and Sean will give us a unified, global focus on the challenges we need to solve for our clients – including better connections between their martech and adtech – and will surely be a catalyst for further growth for Kinesso and our clients,” said Kumar.

Meanwhile, Erica Schmidt, Matterkind’s global CEO, commented, “I couldn’t be more thrilled for Matt, Andy, Jorge and Sean. They already have a track record of success leading Matterkind’s business in these regions, and I know they will continue to deliver excellence in their new roles.”