Tag: managing partner

Manila, Philippines – Local-based PR and creative solutions agency BrandComm Asia has announced the appointment of Zot Brillo as its managing partner.

He brings with him extensive experience of having worked with local and international brands across diverse sectors, including technology, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, motoring, FMCG, F&B, and properties. 

Moreover, he has championed building relationships over the years, enabling him to establish a robust network of media and influencers all over the Philippines.

In his new role, Brillo will spearhead the agency, oversee day-to-day operations, and lead a dedicated team of PR professionals to help provide world-class service to clients. Brillo’s expertise in crafting modern communications strategies and familiarity with traditional PR will be integrated into the creative strengths of the agency, such as in media and influencers management, strategic comms, events management, digital marketing, and creatives.

For Brillo, pushing for the integration of modern PR approaches and traditional communication strategies will help brands succeed in their businesses. He believes that the hybrid approach not only ensures that brands and companies resonate with their audiences but also positions themselves at the forefront of the ever-evolving industry.

“I am excited to join BrandComm Asia. Having had the privilege of working with local and global brands from different industries, I am committed to bringing a fresh and dynamic perspective to BrandComm. Our aim is to be a trailblazer, engaging clients in diverse sectors. We aspire to craft a modern identity that resonates, ensuring continued success in delivering impactful PR and communications solutions for brand,” he stated.

India – Wunderman Thompson South Asia has announced that Vijay Jacob has been elevated to the managing partner position for the East and South at Wunderman Thompson India. Prior to taking on the new role, Jacob was senior vice president & managing partner at Wunderman Thompson Kolkata. 

Jacob brings with him a proven track record of handling key businesses and extensive experience working in the South, which includes leadership roles in agencies in Bangalore and Chennai, and partnering leading clients such as Britannia, ITC Foods, 3M, UB, TVS Motors and extensive experience in FMCG Sales & Marketing experience with Eveready.

His knowledge and understanding of the South market will give an impetus to Wunderman Thompson India’s growth strategy in the South, said the agency. 

Commenting on Vijay’s new appointment, Shams Jasani, CEO at Wunderman Thompson South Asia, said, “The South market is very important to us, and Vijay’s appointment comes at a time when we want to spearhead the next phase of growth. We have a very clear focus on new business and key clients including oversight of client retention and business development, nurturing the teams of talent, and driving innovation and growth for our clients and our capabilities. With Vijay’s proven track record of always being able to meet the ever-changing needs of clients and building strong and happy teams, we are convinced that he will be able to drive positive impact for our clients and their businesses and help fuel our growth ambition.”

Jacob shared, “I am looking forward to taking on this new role at Wunderman Thompson India and further pave the way for the organization to greater success. The South market holds immense potential for delivering transformational work that builds on Wunderman Thompson South Asia’s capabilities in creative, data, tech, and commerce. I look forward to collaborating with our experienced team to deliver tailored solutions to ensure growth for our clients and make the south market the growth engine for our company.” 

In other markets, the CEO of Wunderman Thompson Indonesia, Vaishali Sarkar, has recently been appointed as president of Wunderman Thompson in Canada. 

Australia – Havas Media Group has named Rebecca Tos as its new managing partner, where she will lead the new Havas Market× business division, integrating customer experience, e-commerce, and data, working alongside paid media and content activation to help marketers find opportunities to engage consumers across the entire customer decision journey.

A seasoned CEO and marketer, Tos has been building and transforming businesses and brands both strategically and commercially for more than 23 years. She has previously held executive leadership roles, including leading 150 people as managing director of the Dentsu-owned Merkle group of performance, data, and tech businesses, and spent five years as CEO of Columbus. 

Since 2020, Tos has been an advisor to tech, digital and e-commerce companies, including Havas Media since last year.

Speaking on her new role, she stated that she feels energised every day to be working with the agency’s exceptional talent and clients to continue optimising customer experience throughout the e-commerce journey. 

“Customer and shopping experiences have become complex, personal and omnichannel. Leveraging our proprietary technology and expertise,  it’s incredibly rewarding, seeing the impact we have on customer conversion rates, experiences, and imperatively, our clients’ revenue and bottom line,” Tos said.

Meanwhile, Virginia Hyland, CEO of Havas Media Group expressed her optimism in appointing Tos in the role, stating that her deep expertise in ecommerce, customer experience, data, CRM, tech, and performance made her ideally suited to build on the agency’s momentum from 2022’s client work and growth.

“Havas Media’s focus is to answer the challenge marketers face in finding the best opportunity to engage with audiences, whether through ecommerce, content, or paid media. As we strive to be the agency partner that helps marketers operate with ease across the customer decision journey,” she said. 

Hyland added, “We have now moved our capability from optimising within [the] channel to engaging and influencing audiences across the customer decision journey. Rebecca’s passion and experience in the retail sector, has already enhanced the agency, bringing customer experience to the fore, combining ecommerce consulting, marketplaces, SEO, email marketing, CRO, as well as data and analytics.”

Australia – Global brand and customer experience agency VMLY&R has announced the promotion of current client service director Vanessa Tout to the role of managing partner. In her new role, Tout will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the Melbourne-based team and will work closely with the client engagement team to deliver best-in-class work for the agency’s existing client partnerships and prospects.

Before joining VMLY&R, Tout has also led teams at Digitas UK, Isobar Australia, and Versa Agency.

Sarah Bailey, managing director of VMLY&R Melbourne & Sydney said that she loved working with Tout for the past 12 months. She also expressed that Tout’s character and experience connected the agency and the people across its global network.

Bailey added, “Her positive impact on our team and client partnerships such as Monash and Ford is evident and I’m really excited about working with Ness to drive further creativity and innovation in 2023 and watch her build on our strong offering in Melbourne.”

Speaking on her new role, Tout said, “I’m excited to be stepping into this new role to support the continued connection and growth of our culture, our team and our client partnerships.”

Tout added, “Since joining VMLY&R I have been so impressed by our team’s passion, talent and commitment to doing truly connected work. This really is the most connected global network I’ve been part of. Our proposition of Creating Connected Brands and the specialist capability we offer to deliver on that – brand experience, customer experience and commerce – is really resonating with our clients. It resulted in some excellent growth across our existing partnerships in 2022, as well as a number of brilliant new business wins.”

Singapore – Global digital media agency M&C Saatchi Performance has elevated Melissa Yik to country director for Singapore, and Roshat Adnani to managing partner for APAC.

Yik has been with M&C Saatchi Performance for eight years. During her previous role as an account director, she has been responsible for driving digital performance across brands including Amazon Shopping, Beam Suntory, and beIN SPORTS, as well as Grab, and Zalora. In her new role, Yik will continue to steer accounts while guiding the agency’s Singapore office which acts as an important regional hub.

Meanwhile, Adnani has been with the agency for five years. He enters his new role three years after having been promoted to director of growth for APAC, which saw him responsible for managing the P&L across markets like India, Indonesia, and MENA, working across clients like Tinder, Myntra, Swiggy, Alodokter, and MPL, as well as Traveloka. In his new role, along with his existing responsibility, he will be taking care of maintaining the agency’s relationship with existing and new partners and overseeing financial operations.

Both roles will report directly to Kabeer Chaudhary, managing director for APAC at M&C Saatchi Performance.

Commenting on her new role, Yik said that back then, there were only 3 of them in the Singapore office and she is so proud today to be given a chance to lead the team of over 40 talented marketers to drive results for some of the agency’s biggest regional accounts. 

“I look forward to working even harder with our team of inspiring individuals, leveraging on our extensive ability to convert data insights into impactful media strategies for all our clients,” added Yik.

Meanwhile, Adnani also commented, “The next few years will be critical for not just the agency but for the industry as a whole and I am excited about working alongside Kabeer in navigating the changes.”

Chaudhary shared that the agency would not be where it is today without the digital expertise and the ability of Yik and Adnani to always go the extra mile for their clients and their team. 

“Their guidance and business acumen have driven our success making a real impact on our client portfolio and growth. We’re honoured to be able to promote talent that has grown within the agency and together with it,” said Chaudhary.

Sydney, Australia – Independent creative agency, The Core Agency has appointed Rebecca Turner to the newly created role of managing partner as well as taking a financial interest in the business as it scales for future growth. As managing partner, she will be responsible for driving agency growth and managing all commercial elements of the business, in addition to overseeing client service, people and operations.

Turner worked at the independent Sydney creative agency for almost ten years, most recently as business director and now joins founding partners Christian Finucane and Jon Skinner with an ownership stake.

Turner said, “Business ownership has long been a goal of mine. Having spent the better part of a decade at The Core Agency, it’s a dream come true to be invited to go into partnership with two of my long-time friends and mentors.” 

“The Core Agency has given me such a broad and rewarding career, I’m excited to be able to offer those learnings to others and continue to build an incredible business for our clients. As a female leader, I’m particularly passionate about furthering gender equality and using this new role to champion diversity and inclusion in everything we do,” Turner added.

The Core Agency was started 14 years ago and has built a reputation for delivering big brand thinking with service levels only owner-operator agencies can deliver. Its clients include IGA Supermarkets, QBE Insurance, Elders Insurance, PwC, Just Better Care, Quest Apartment Hotels and Doctors on Demand.

Christian Finucane, founder at The Core Agency, shared that with two creative founders, The Core Agency has always been a creative-led business. However, they recognise the important role people like Bec play in making great ideas happen. 

“We’ve been looking for the right third partner who can represent this vital pillar of the business, complement the skills we have, and bring a new perspective to our ever-evolving industry. Bec was the clear choice across all points. It has been fantastic to see her grow in the business while she has helped the agency grow,” Finucane said. 

Finucane further said, “She has an incredible ability to determine big-picture thinking while also minding the important details for our clients. She is a champion of the agency culture and always has time for the next wave of talent coming through the business.”

Meanwhile, Jon Skinner, founder at The Core Agency, commented, “This significant appointment is key to our growth plans as we scale and help more brands overachieve. Clients all tell us the same thing – they’re after big brand experience combined with the level of service that only owner-operated agencies can offer. This is exactly what our business model, driven by our new leadership team, can now take to the next level.

Skinner continued, “Australia is fueled by ambitious mid-tier brands that are restless for growth. We want to show them they have a natural home with The Core Agency, where they’ll receive the number one treatment without compromising on big brand thinking. Every great brand needs a core idea and core team, so our next chapter will deliver that for more clients who share our ambition to punch above.”

Australia – Digital creative agency Orchard has appointed Michael Di Natale, former managing director at conversational AI agency VERSA, to step into its newly created role of managing partner.

Di Natale brings with him 15 years of experience in the industry. Aside from his recent role at VERSA, Di Natale has held positions at the likes of Accenture and Isobar, before moving up the ranks to become dentsu’s executive director of experience, strategy, and consulting.

Moreover, Di Natale has worked across sectors spanning travel, finance, government, education, professional services, and utilities, as well as sport, and entertainment with clients including ANZ Bank, Australia Post, JB HI-FI, MCC/MCG, and NSW Government, as well as Qantas, amongst others.

In his new role, Di Natale will continue to build Orchard’s customer service offering and consumer division, leveraging the great momentum the agency has with existing clients Hyundai, Tourism Tasmania, and Westpac. He will be driving agency growth and creating connected experiences.

Commenting on his appointment, Di Natale said that the mix of talented individuals, excellent culture, and clear strategy and direction, has him very excited about what the future has in store. 

“Building meaningful, connected experiences is my passion and something that many talk about, but it’s rare you come across the team, capabilities, structure, and strategies in place to actually ‘walk the walk’ and bring it to life,” added Di Natale.

Meanwhile, Wai Kwok, Orchard’s CEO, shared that building connected experiences is at the core of their work and Di Natale has a proven track record in delivering digital experiences to a plethora of clients. 

“He has a passion for solving new challenges and building high-performing teams. With a diverse skill set, we are enthusiastic to see what he will bring to the table for Orchard in 2022. We know he will add not only great value to our business and our clients but to our people as well,” said Kwok.

Mumbai, India – Global media and digital marketing communications company dentsu in India has appointed Ramsai Suriyanarayanan as its new managing partner for trading and media. 

Suriyanarayanan will lead media investments for its client Reckitt and will play an integral role in developing dentsu Media’s investment model and portfolio. He has over 25 years of experience, with almost 14 years spent on senior positions across procurement and sales and marketing functions in the media industry.

Speaking on his appointment, Suriyanarayanan said, “I am excited to join one of the world’s fastest-growing client-centric networks, dentsu. It is a privilege to join this team that combines the needs of the clients with consumer intelligence insights, unlocking unique possibilities for sustainable value and lasting change. I look forward to the association and [contributing] to the greater objectives of dentsu and our clients.”

Meanwhile, Divya Karani, CEO of media for South Asia at dentsu India said, “We are elated to welcome Suriyanarayanan to the team. He will collaborate with our agencies and media partners to create ROI and deliver value to our clients across media in today’s dynamic media industry.”

Sydney, Australia – Customer experience agency The Works has announced the addition of ex-CEO of independent CX agency MercerBell Julie Dormand as its newest managing partner on a contract basis.

She will be responsible for leading the agency’s operations, people and key clients, as well as driving next year’s business plan initiatives with general manager for people and operations Jasmine Lansdell, as well as with managing partner Kristie Thistelthwaite, who is set to go on maternity leave in December.

Dormand has spent the best part of the last two decades with MercerBell across myriad positions including the role of CEO from January 2019 to February 2021.

Speaking about her appointment, she said, “It is great to be a part of The Works team at a time when they have such momentum behind their new positioning ‘Be Significant’. They have an infectious energy for creativity and client results. Their award-winning culture shines through in the approach to the work.”

She will be joining the leadership team, reporting into founder and creative partner Damian Pincus, and will work alongside partner Douglas Nicol, creative partner Iggy Rodriguez, and managing partner Ruth Haffenden, who returns from maternity leave.

“It would be an understatement to say The Works team are excited to be bringing on board such a well-renowned and respected industry leader like Jules. Jules will play an instrumental part in fulfilling our significant ambitions for 2022. Having led Australia’s first CX agency, Jules certainly has extensive expertise providing first-class customer engagement strategies, which will stand us in good stead with our clients,” Pincus said.

The Works had recently signed in Iggy Rodriguez as new creative partner and Katie Harper as new head of production. This follows after the agency also launched its newest brand platform ‘Be Significant’ in a bid to beat ‘meaningless’ in adland.

India – WATConsult, the hybrid digital agency from the Isobar India group and within the dentsu network, has elevated Sahil Shah, the agency’s former chief business officer (CBO), to the role of managing partner.

As one of the key founding members of the organization, dentsu said that Shah has played a significant role in shaping and building the agency since 2009. 

“He has moved from strength to strength, successfully cultivating a culture of creativity and innovation within the agency,” said dentsu.

It is under Shah’s ‘hawk-eyed’ leadership alongside his team’s ‘powerful’ guidance that WATConsult has grown to become one of the most accoladed agencies in India over the last decade. 

Some of the awards that the agency has won in the recent period include the GRAND PRIX at Prague International Advertising Festival, the Grand Emvie & Gold Effies for Racold’s #MindYour Language, an Emvie Gold for SBI Life’s Thanks a Dot, and a Gold at Shortys for Starbucks’ Barista Call Out. To date, WATConsult has brought home 11 Agency of the Year titles.

In his new role, Shah will continue to report to newly appointed CEO of Isobar India group, Heeru Dingra, and will spearhead the agency operations. Shah will also be responsible for bringing in new business for the agency.

Speaking on his new role, Shah said, “After spending a decade and more in building this agency, my heart fills with pride as I watch it grow stronger each day. The digital landscape has certainly evolved and the teams at WATConsult have kept pace with this change by delivering some path-breaking campaigns. 

“As we move towards our next phase of growth as a network, my team and I look forward to taking on this new journey with power and gusto,” added Shah.

Meanwhile, Dingra comments, “Sahil is one of our strongest assets. His expertise in managing clients and the team is commendable. A great team leader, Sahil, along with the talented workforce at WATConsult, will continue to bring in new creativity to ensure persistent growth of clients. Together, and as a network, we are ready to explore a new pathway to our future.”

Just recently, dentsu India has bolstered its digital, experiential, and pr capabilities under the Isobar India group, comprising Isobar India and WATConsult, and the PR agency, Perfect Relations. 

The change is part of the network’s global plan to transform into the world’s most integrated group by 2024.