Tag: Leadership

Singapore – Marketing company Crimtan has appointed Andy Houstoun as its new chief commercial officer, where he will establish a new commercial services division to focus on better supporting existing clients, as well as growing Crimtan’s creative and analytical functions.

He has more than 20 years’ experience in programmatic and digital, most recently as group operations director at crimtan, and previously as CCO of Larsson & Jennings, the Swiss made watch brand. 

Prior to this he worked at Venda, an on-demand e-commerce provider, which was acquired by Oracle, where he launched and optimised online propositions for clients including Jimmy Choo, TK Maxx and Urban Outfitters. Prior to this, he was part of the founding team of Tesco.com.

Speaking on his appointment, he said, “The industry, compliance and needs of our clients are all evolving at lightning speed. As an independent company with our own technologies and services, Crimtan has the opportunity to be nimble and navigate this complexity through transparent insights and solutions that focus on driving each and every client’s customer lifetime value.”

He added, “I am looking forward in my new role as CCO to delivering exciting developments across planning, targeting and measurement that will support all our clients to drive the best performance for their marketing spend in the new consented and cookieless world.”

Meanwhile, Joshua Wilson, commercial director for APAC at Crimtan, commented, “The UK has been at the forefront of programmatic evolution and has been leading the charge in creating infrastructure for brands to thrive in the new world of digital advertising. As we grow and expand Crimtan’s footprint in Asia Pacific and Japan, Andy’s stepping into this role will bring a huge amount of wealth and knowledge for our clients.”

Lastly, Paul Goad, CEO at Crimtan, said, “Crimtan is constantly innovating to drive incremental ROI and lifetime customer value for our clients and we have ambitious plans for future business growth. Andy’s experience, expertise and market insight will be invaluable as we expand into new markets and build on our creative and analytical capabilities to deliver exceptional client insight and performance.”

Taiwan – BBDO Taiwan has appointed Shih-Yen Lee as its new chief creative officer, which took effect on October 3 this year.

Prior to BBDO, he also worked as creative director of Wunderman Thompson, DDB Shanghai executive creative director, and Unisurf Digital Marketing executive creative director in Taiwan.

Since joining in 2008, he has held top creative positions at leading ad firms in both China and Taiwan, covering multiple brands and categories. His works have received numerous awards, including the Effies, London International Advertising Awards, New York Advertising Awards, Clio Awards, The One Show, Spikes Asia and Cannes Lions. 

Speaking on his appointment, he said, “It’s an honour to join BBDO. I can see there is a commitment to creativity, as well as a passion for creating creative work that not only enhances the brand image but also increases sales and revenue for the client. As a final say, for now, I’d like to borrow the term “brainstorm” from BBDO co-founder Alex Faickney Osborn – I look forward to storming creative problems with the team and creating more amazing work that will truly blow clients away.”

Alan Hung, managing director at BBDO Taiwan, said, “I’m thrilled to have Shih-Yen join us as our new Chief Creative Officer. Aside from his 24 years of experience working abroad and also in Taiwan, he has an outstanding collection of awards under his belt ranging from LIA, the New York Advertising, Clio and two Cannes Lions. Shih Yen is an exceptional storyteller, and I’m looking forward to working with him on BBDO’s next chapters.”

Meanwhile, Wai Foong Leong, chairman and CCO of BBDO Greater China, commented, “It’s been ten years since I got to know Shih-Yen. I’ve watched Shih-Yen win clients and awards one after another in different battlefields, wondering when I’ll be able to collaborate with him. That dream has now finally come true! I’m confident that with Shih Yen, BBDO Taiwan will shine even brighter in the years to come. Exciting times ahead for sure.”

Singapore – Warren Fernandez, formerly an editor affiliated with The Straits Times, has been named the new chief executive officer of Edelman in Asia-Pacific, effective October 25 this year.

Fernandez will join the firm’s global executive leadership team and report to global president and chief operating officer Matthew Harrington. He replaces Stephen Kehoe, who left Edelman in June. Dave Samson, global vice chairman of corporate affairs, has served as interim CEO since Kehoe’s departure.

His appointment also follows several key appointments for Edelman’s health arm in APAC, in Singapore, and the appointment of Melvin Goo as new chief operating officer for Indonesia.

He joins from English/Malay/Tamil Media Group in SPH Media, where he was the editor-in-chief. He simultaneously served as the editor of The Straits Times. He joined The Straits Times as a political reporter in 1990 and would go on to serve as news editor as well as foreign editor and deputy editor. 

In 2008, Fernandez left to join Royal Dutch Shell as a global manager for its Future Energy project, working with its scenario planning and communications teams in London and the Hague. He returned to the paper in 2012 as its senior-most editor.

Speaking on his appointment, he said, “I’m very excited to join a firm that I have admired and worked with, as a client and partner, over the years. Edelman continues to drive the conversation on Trust and shape the future of the communications industry. I believe there is enormous potential to continue to expand upon the vital thought leadership, as well as media, brand and strategic communications advice we provide to our clients. I look forward to leading the team in Asia Pacific and working with the industry-leading talent across its global network.”

Meanwhile, Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, commented, “Asia is one of the most important markets to Edelman’s future. We have purposely built a communications advisory firm to help Asian companies step onto the global stage, while also supporting other companies as they seek to expand into the diverse markets of Asia. Our ability to help companies navigate the complexities across this vast and dynamic region have never been more critical to businesses and we are the right firm to help them succeed in doing so.”

India – Dentsu Creative India has announced the appointment of Dalip Daniel, as the new group executive creative, and Tulika Seth, as the new group creative director, to bolster its creative team. Both will be reporting to Joy Mohanty, chief creative Officer of Dentsu Creative India.

In their new roles, Daniel and Seth will be focusing on boosting the agency’s creative competence for its existing and prospective clientele. They will design ideas that ‘Create Culture, Change Society, and Invent The Future’ by keeping modern creativity at the heart of the business.

Daniel is a seasoned creative leader and has held leadership roles across agencies and radio stations like Ogilvy & Mather, GroupM ESP, and BIG 92.7 FM. He has worked for brands like Airtel, Nokia, Limca, Dabur, and Pepsi, as well as SONY, and Honda, amongst many others. In addition to this, he has also created branded content for TV shows and launched BIG 92.7 FM in North India.

Meanwhile, armed with over 16 years of experience, Seth has led creative teams at agencies like Lowe, TBWA, Grey, Innocean, and Humour Me in Delhi and Mumbai. Some of the brands she has worked with include Hyundai, Dunzo, LG, and National Geographic, as well as Henkel, and Anne French, amongst others.

Commenting on his appointment, Daniel said, “This is an exciting opportunity, and I am thrilled to be joining dentsu at such a pivotal time.”

Meanwhile, Seth also commented, “‘Wholly integrated’ is the key descriptor that has really got me excited. The work that has been coming out of the agency is truly inspiring, and I can’t wait to dive right in.”

Mohanty said, “Together with a superb body of work, Tulika & Danny bring with them a wealth of experience across formats. They will both play a key role in driving our agenda of creativity beyond silos. It is great to have them on board.”

Just recently, Dentsu Creative India announced the appointment of Benny Augustine as its new chief operating officer, where he will oversee the agency’s operations in India. His objective will be to build various frameworks, platforms, and business processes that promote efficiency and effectiveness for clients using modern creativity.

Sydney, Australia – Advertising agency Howatson+Company has appointed Doug Hamilton and Michael Kleinman as its new creative directors.

Prior to joining Howatson+Company, Hamilton was a creative director at BMF and TBWA. Moreover, he also spent five years in New York at Droga5, and Anomaly. While Kleinman joins Howatson+Company from 72andSunny, where he was head of design. Prior to that, he also spent five years in New York at Droga5.

Commenting on their appointment, Hamilton said, “We’re delighted to be let inside the doors of Howatson+Company. One day in and we can tell it’s stuffed to the gills with lovely, clever humans. Michael and I never got to work together at Droga5, so we’re excited to have the chance now. We’re looking forward to rolling up the sleeves of our matching outfits and getting stuck in.”

Meanwhile, Levi Slavin, CCO at Howatson+Company, said, “I had the good fortune of working with Doug at Anomaly and have been a fan of Michael’s for ages. Both are splendid humans and extraordinarily talented. I’m absolutely thrilled they joined us in Sydney.”

In April 2022, Howatson+Company also added a duo to their creative team; Sophie Beard and Joash Tham are appointed as new creative directors.

Singapore – Global design consultancy Elmwood has made a number of major hires as it establishes its Singapore offer as one of the region’s leading design shops. They include Lisa Balm as creative director, Rachel Goh as head of insights, Kedar Karippail as client services director.

The new appointments mark a major refresh of the agency following Elmwood’s merger with Holmes & Marchant in the region in November 2021.

Goh will be responsible for using data and strategic thinking to help brands craft compelling stories and produce more culturally relevant work. She was previously a partner at Innate Motion, where she delivered insights and empathy-powered strategies for global and local brands across FMCG, beauty, fashion, technology and e-commerce brands. 

Meanwhile, Balm has worked on brands including Citibank, Singtel, Diageo, LVMH and PepsiCo. In her role at Elmwood, she will work alongside fellow creative director Jason Braddy to lead a creative team of more than 25 designers, visualisers and production specialists. 

Lastly, Karippail has over 20 years international brand and advertising experience working across India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Netherlands and the UK, for DDB, Geometry Global, Ogilvy & Mather and Y&R amongst others. She will work closely with Elmwood Singapore’s managing director Celeste Cheong on developing the agency’s overall growth and client strategy, building and maintaining relationships.

Cheong said, “It’s a hugely pivotal time for Elmwood Singapore and design consultancies in general. So I’m delighted that we’ve found the very best talent to help take Elmwood Singapore to the next stage in our journey. I’m really excited to work alongside Rachel, Lisa, Kedar and the existing leadership team to be an invaluable partner to all our clients.”

Meanwhile, Paul Galesloot, global CEO at Elmwood, commented, “Elmwood was created to design meaningful & memorable brands in the multi-platform age. And to do that, you need a team of experienced, truly global, diverse thinkers with an in-depth understanding of insight, idea and iconicity, as well as a broad business and industry acumen.” 

He added, “I’m delighted we’ve put together such a strong, new-look team for Elmwood Singapore, who collectively offer all the expertise required to produce distinctive, dynamic brand experiences that can succeed now and in the future.”

Singapore – Initiative, the media agency under IPG Mediabrands, has appointed Niranjan Singh as its new head of communications in Asia-Pacific. In his new role, he will champion the application of best-practice approaches, techniques and solutions for modern experience design.

In addition, he will drive the connected communications design practice across key clients and sectors for Initiative APAC.

Singh will report to James Smyllie, president of Initiative APAC and is currently based in Mumbai, India prior to transitioning to the Initiative APAC regional headquarters in Singapore. His appointment is effective immediately. 

He has more than 16 years industry experience in strategic media planning and buying, and was previously the head of AOR at Mediacom Indonesia, leading the P&G business for three years.

Prior to that, he spent six years at GroupM, working across leading brands such as Colgate Palmolive, GSK and FrieslandCampina in India and Vietnam.

Speaking on his appointment, Singh said, “I’m thrilled to join Initiative APAC. Initiative’s unique proposition of achieving Cultural Velocity™ in the media-fragmented world to deliver real business growth and success for brands, was the big pull factor for me. I’m super excited to become a part of the team that has been winning Global businesses back-to-back.”

Meanwhile, Smyllie commented, “We are delighted to be attracting talent like Niran to Initiative. This hire reinforces our key focus on enhancing our Craft capabilities across APAC, and driving a consistently world class product throughout the region.”

The new Initiative appointment follows a slew of appointments made by agencies under the IPG Mediabrands company in APAC, namely the appointment of MBCS’ Olivia Warren to its Australia executive team, as well as of Sarah O’Leary and Tom Cumberworth for Initiative’s Rufus, the dedicated media and communications for Amazon.

Australia – Creative agency BMF has announced four new appointments, in an aim to double down on the agency’s creativity, effectiveness, content, and social capabilities. These include Hannah McHard, the new head of effectiveness, Phoebe Carden, the new content and social strategist, and Alister McCann and Joe Mallett, the new senior creatives. 

Before joining BMF, McHard has a four-year stint as insights and strategy manager at supermarket ALDI Australia. In addition, McHard also has held a 14-year position at Kantar. As new head of effectiveness, McHard will be harnessing data, analytics, and insights, to further BMF’s culture of effectiveness. 

Meanwhile, Carden has been appointed after working as a content social strategist and writer for recognised brandings including Disney, the ABC, Optus, Universal Sony, and NSW Health. In her new position, Carden will be working in a hybrid role with both BMF and its content production arm Bantam, which has worked with clients including ALDI Australia, MONA, TAL, Gumtree, RMIT University, and UN Women. With the recent wins of Lounge Lovers and George Weston Foods’ social account, Carden will be driving both Bantam’s and BMF’s social capabilities and identifying new opportunities to inform brand and content strategy, working across key clients.

Adding to its creative team is Mallet, who has spent six years at Lucky Generals London and has worked on world-class clients including, PlayStation, Hostelworld, the co-op supermarket, and most recently Amazon’s Super Bowl commercial, featuring Scarlett Johansson.

In addition, McCann, who also joins as a senior creative, has worked at agencies including AnalogFolk, CX Lavender, The Works, M&C Saatchi, and The Green House on brands including Westfield Australia, Westpac, CommBank, McDonald’s, Optus, Woolworths, and Curtin University, as well as Coke Zero and Coors Beer.

“Alister and Joe have only just got through the door and they’re already making a big impact, not only on our client’s business but on the culture of collaboration and kindness that BMF is so proud of. With their talent and experience in non-traditional thinking, both here and overseas, they’re going to do great things and we’re all very happy they’ve decided to call BMF home,” said Alex Derwin, chief creative officer at BMF Australia.

Meanwhile, Christina Aventi, chief strategy officer at BMF, commented that they’re thrilled to have Carden and McHard join their motley crew of planners, as both are believers in creativity and effectiveness that will help them navigate the metrics that matter in a world of data overload. 

“Phoebe will be working closely with Irina, Executive Director, Digital and Direct Strategy across our clients and our content unit Bantam. Hannah will be working across ALDI and government and any client that expresses an interest in unlocking even greater effectiveness in their communications (like everyone?). In a tight talent market, we feel really lucky to have these two dynamos join us,” said Aventi.

Singapore – Global food company Mondelez International has announced the appointment of Hemant Rupani as its new president of its Southeast Asia business unit. He was previously the managing director of Mondelez Kinh Do Vietnam, and replaces Glenn Caton who has moved to a global role.

In his new role, Rupani will be responsible for the SEA cluster of markets including the exports business in the broader Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region, leading growth and end-to-end business.

Rupani is an accomplished leader with over 20 years of experience working in India, US and Vietnam covering various industries including food and beverage (F&B), telecommunications, and consulting. Prior to joining Mondelez International in 2016, he worked with several leading organisations including PepsiCo, Vodafone, Britannia, and Infosys Technologies.

Speaking about his appointment, Hemant said, “The SEA business has been on an accelerated growth path driven by increasing consumption, digital penetration, talented population, and cultural diversity in the region.”

He added, “We have built a reign as category leaders across segments with our portfolio of iconic global brands and local jewels. Combining our solid team, local-first strategy, and robust investments, we are in a strong position to lead the future of snacking and drive sustainable growth forward.”

Manila, Philippines – Global advertising network Dentsu has announced the new wave of leaders in the Philippines, namely Jerry Hizon as chief creative officer for Dentsu Jayme Syfu and Dentsu One Manila, Elyse Bella as managing director of Dentsu Jayme Syfu, and Edg Samson as managing director of Dentsu One Manila.

Prior to his role expansion, Hizon previously led the transformation of the Dentsu One Manila creative team as its chief creative officer. He has also worked on Nissin Ramen, Dole Philippines and Seaoil and went on to win various awards and citations for their brands.

Ronald Barreiro, CEO of creative service at dentsu Philippines, said, “Jerry’s passion for excellence makes him the perfect choice for this leadership position. I’ve worked with him for 13 years and have seen how he has continued to elevate and evolve the creativity we do on behalf of our clients. Jerry has been heavily involved in the development of our next-gen creative leaders and the culture of excellence that we have imbibed in our leaders at dentsu has aptly prepared him for this career milestone.”

Meanwhile, Bella will oversee business transformation at dentsu. She has been a long-time dentsu account lead, directly overseeing its major Japanese accounts including Ajinomoto, Yamaha, and Glico. She was instrumental in leading the agency’s new business wins for Shell and Mang Inasal.

“Known as the agency’s resident “Tiger Mom”, Elyse is a tenacious and dedicated business leader who continuously provides comprehensive solutions for our clients. Having run the most profitable business unit in Dentsu Jayme Syfu for six consecutive years, Elyse will partner with brands to achieve meaningful progress for growth with innovative ideas and solutions and help businesses move forward,” Barreiro stated.

Lastly, Samsom has played a critical role in a number of dentsu Philippines’ most notable business wins, including a part of the team that won the Coca-Cola account. He has overseen top accounts including Jollibee, Unilever, and Wyeth.

Alex Syfu, chief advisor at dentsu Philippines, commented, “Edg is a true business leader who thrives in challenging work situations because of his calm and collected demeanour. With a solid track record and his strong affinity with our people, Edg is the perfect person to lead Dentsu One Manila to its next phase of growth.”

Barreiro was appointed as the new CEO of dentsu Philippines’ creative service line in October 2021, following the promotion back then of Merlee Jayme to the role of chief creative officer for Asia-Pacific at dentsu. Jayme has since stepped down from dentsu after serving with the company for six years.