Tag: New Appointments

New Zealand – Mango Aotearoa is experiencing growth, increasing in size. The recently announced changes include the appointment of seven producers and a talent manager.

The Mango experiential team receives support from group ECD Matty Burton and strategy director Jack Murphy. Additionally, they have an internal content creation team comprising digital, design, and technical domains.

Jessica McColl has been appointed as group business director at Mango.

Speaking of the appointment of McColl, Brianna Elder, managing partner and head of experiential at Mango Aotearoa, said, “Jessica brings with her an incredible wealth of experience, amazing creative ability and the best black book in the market.” 

She added, “We have an incredible team of producers that can make any idea a reality, and we’ve partnered that expertise with more creative firepower, pointy insights and content creation that significantly expands the reach of our physical executions into the digital space.”

“As our clients diversify their experiential needs, we’re delivering differently too. We’re seeing a shift away from product-led experiences to a dual need for product and brand in all executions. Tasting is no longer believing, there are layers of messaging and emotional connection in everything we do,” Elder said.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Sagar Paranjpe, previously head of brand, strategy, and creative at Malaysia Airlines, has been appointed as the new managing director of digital marketing agency Bonsey Jaden. Paranjpe made the announcement on his LinkedIn. 

After spending four years at Malaysia Airlines, Paranjpe steps down from his role “to achieve great things,” according to his LinkedIn post. 

Paranjpe started as the creative director for global at the airlines, then later on moved to becoming its head of strategy & creative before adding brand as part of his role. 

He brings with him extensive experience in advertising, having previously assumed creative head appointments at the Malaysian division of top agency networks Ogilvy, Grey Group, and JWT. 

Bonsey Jaden has been ramping up its leadership appointments with several new roles unveiled such as seasoned ad man Daniel Loo as its new regional executive creative director for Southeast Asia, and Marvin Duval, formerly of Digital APAC, as the new head of strategy. Recently, the agency has also appointed Sherwin Kukreja, formerly of Yoodo, to the position of head of social media.

Singapore – Amazon’s live streaming service Twitch has announced that it has appointed two former Dentsu International heads Mandar Kambli and Sunil Yadav to be its newest leads for the APAC team. Kambli will join as Programmatic Enablement Lead, while Yadav will be assuming the role of Agency Development Lead.

In August, Twitch named a new marketing head for APAC, and the latest hires come as it continues to grow its team in Singapore and across the whole region.

Kambli comes to Twitch with 14 years of industry experience with agencies, ad tech, and publishers. He was with Dentsu from 2015-2019 where he led programmatic product, supply, and data initiatives across the region. He was most recently the head of advertising platforms for product listing app Carousell.

Meanwhile, Yadav brings with him 20 years of expertise across advertising, media planning, and digital communications. He was previously president of APAC at Dentsu’s media innovation and investment arm Amplifi where he managed media buying and media partnership. Notably, he built its programmatic agency Amnet, across 14 markets, and launched its content agency TheStoryLab in APAC. Prior to Dentsu, he worked with media agencies Mindshare and Starcom, and TV company Mediacom.

At Twitch, Kambli will be responsible for developing and supporting Twitch revenue growth across multiple regions and sharing his expertise on programmatic. With it, he will be helping enhance Twitch’s work with its customers and manage a number of key relationships. Yadav’s role, on the other hand, will charge him with the task of leading all agency partnership negotiations and relationships. He will help build upon Twitch’s success in other regions to help APAC brands and their media agency partners develop deeper relationships with the brand.

“Our pace hasn’t slowed since our last key hires in APAC, and we’re excited to bring key team members in Mandar and Sunil aboard,” said Steve Ford, vice president of Twitch for sales in APAC.

“As new users in APAC and across the world are continuing to come to Twitch, they’re finding their community and forming lasting bonds with creators. Our continued expansion will make for a better experience for these new users, as well as the brands that excite them. We’re planning even more big hires across APAC in 2020 and beyond, and look forward to taking exciting new steps in a number of markets here,” added Ford.

On the new role, Kambli said, “I’m excited to join Twitch during this period of unprecedented activity and growth in APAC. Twitch is multiplayer entertainment – it’s unique, interactive, live, and such an exciting place to be, whether you are a viewer, creator, advertiser, agency, partner, or anyone in between. And our goal is to work hand-in-hand with everyone to make the most of it.”

Meanwhile, Yadav commented, “On Twitch, everyone comes together to celebrate, learn, and grow their interests and passions, and I’m looking forward to helping agencies to learn about how to best work on Twitch to do new and exciting things. Gaming and live streaming are two areas where APAC’s audience and its passion are unparalleled, and we are just scratching the surface of the exciting new things that are possible for brands on Twitch’s platform.”

Twitch has also announced the start of its first salespeople based in Taiwan, providing a physical presence to support early inroads that Twitch has made with partners and organizations in the country. The new hires in Taiwan join the existing content and marketing teams in its office location.


Germany – PR company GlobalCom PR Network (GCPR), an alliance of 80 public relations agencies in more than 100 countries, has appointed communications firm Interprose’s CEO Vivian Kelly, and Singapore-based PR company PRecious Communications’ Managing Director Lars Voedisch, as its newest members of the board, with both bearing the title managing director.

They will join GCPR founder Ralf Hartmann and Richard Merrin, managing director of UK-based PR firm Spreckley, on the GlobalCom board of directors to provide strategic direction for the growing GCPR network. 

GCPR provides clients with a worldwide network of independent PR agencies offering services on crisis communications, media relations, analyst relations as well as influencer marketing and SEO PR. Its PR partners boast of expertise in a slew of verticals such as consumer electronics and lifestyle, financial services, fintech, and also healthcare and IT.

Both Kelly and Voedisch carry with them decades of experience in their field. Kelly has been specifically well-versed in working with tech companies. She founded Interprose in 1998, which provides strategic communications among global B2B tech innovators. In addition, Kelly has been an active advocate for technology companies promoting diversity and inclusion via providing opportunities for brand ambassadors of all backgrounds to serve as spokespeople and thought leaders. 

Meanwhile, Voedisch is known for growing, managing and defending leading brands’ reputations. He has been with PRecious Communications for eight years, having provided strategic communications counsel to over 300 startups across APAC, which includes 15 unicorns as well as enterprises, lifestyle brands, and government agencies. His firm has been honored with multiple industry accolades including the Independent Agency Head of the Year award at the 2019 Marketing Talent Awards. 

Commenting on the appointment, Hartmann said, “We live in a decentralized world, and companies are looking for trusted partners who understand their business, and can scale as they expand into new markets.”

“Our clients are assured of the best, most cost-effective approach to multi-market PR, from experts in their field. Having Vivian and Lars join the board, gives our clients a more comprehensive global view on new markets and how best to penetrate them from an awareness building perspective,” he added. 

Singapore – Openspace Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on investing in technology opportunities in Southeast Asia has appointed former Walt Disney’s APAC head for business development Jessica Huang Pouleur as its new executive director, while finance and investment executive Aristo Setiawidjaja has been tapped as the company’s senior advisor for Indonesia.

The company said that the new appointments come as the team expands its portfolio of investments in the region.

Aside from the executive director position, Pouleur will be joining as a member of the investment committee of OSV+, the company’s newly established opportunity fund focused on mid-stage technology investing.

For over ten years, Pouleur has been focused on Southeast Asian opportunities in telecommunications, media, and technology. As Walt Disney’s head of strategy and business development for APAC, Pouleur led and oversaw strategic initiatives and managed Disney’s investment and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity across the region including key aspects of its 17 billion US dollar acquisition of 21st Century Fox. Before that, she was with Providence Equity Partners as director based in Singapore, leading the evaluation and management of growth-stage investment opportunities across the SEA region.   

Meanwhile, Setiawidjaja is a board member and managing director of hospital network Hermina Hospitals in Indonesia amid joining Openspace Ventures. Prior to that, he was a director at investment firm Olympus Capital.

Poeleur, commenting on her appointment, “Southeast Asia is evolving rapidly as a market and my experience at Disney and Providence has given me a great perspective on the exciting opportunity set. Good investment opportunities start with a clear understanding of diverse regional consumer dynamics supported by relevant product development and leading technology. I am excited to join Openspace where I have known the Partners for a long time and watched with admiration as their team has helped build some of the best companies in the region.

Meanwhile, Setiawidjaja said, “As we deal with the new normal due to COVID and rethink how daily life will change in its aftermath, there are plenty of emerging opportunities in Indonesia and the region. I am looking forward to contributing my perspectives to Openspace in sectors it is investing in, which coincide with my domain knowledge of the sectors.”

Shane Chesson, founding partner at Openspace remarked, “Openspace is now operating four funds across the region with a team of 25 diverse individuals delivering on the unique requirements of technology investing in Southeast Asia. We welcome our new team members who add to this diversity and skill set. The investment environment is attractive during this phase and we will keep executing on our busy pipeline.”

Singapore — Esports entertainment company Ampverse today announced the appointment of Tim Roemer (pictured) as Director of Operations. In his role, Roemer will support the growth of Ampverse as the company is set to scale across Southeast Asia.

Video gaming is a cultural marker, especially in Asia, with the entire industry predicted to grow to US$6.9billion by 2026, and the Asia-Pacific region accounting for over 51% of gaming enthusiasts. 

Gaming communities, largely made up of Gen-Z audiences, hold the power to create seismic cultural shifts. With that belief, Ampverse creates and celebrates gaming communities across Southeast Asia. 

Ampverse works with brands to drive awareness, engagement, consideration and purchase among Gen-Z audiences, through the Ampverse ecosystem that includes a suite of owned-and-operated esports teams, gaming channels, original content programming, publishing assets and merchandise. 

As Director of Operations at Ampverse, Roemer’s role is largely to implement efficient organizational processes to support the company’s expansion. He will also work closely with the C-suite team to analyze growth and acquisition opportunities across esports, content and product divisions.

Roemer boasts a strong entrepreneurial background, having successfully founded ventures including performance marketing company, Heroleads, which he grew and scaled to over 200 people in five years. 

Commenting on his appointment, Roemer said, “Ampverse consistently remains one step ahead of the curve and I’m thrilled to be a part of this high-performing company.

The video gaming industry, while still nascent in Southeast Asia, is displaying remarkable potential with vast opportunities for growth.

Tim Roemer, Director of Operations at Ampverse

Helping to scale the business across the region is a challenge I’m truly looking forward to taking, with the added benefit of working alongside a talented, high-calibre team.”

Ferdinand Gutierrez, Co-Founder and CEO at Ampverse added, “We established Ampverse based on the belief that hyperlocal communities have the power to drive change. Everyone in our team is a specialist in their own right, bringing together strengths and knowledge from their unique backgrounds to drive these gaming communities.

The appointment of Tim is a testament to Ampverse’s accelerated growth and reflects our commitment to hire the best, enabling us to continue to deliver innovative gaming-centric campaigns that help brands maintain their competitive edge and connect with Gen-Zs.”

Singapore – To continue Keepital’s growth momentum in Southeast Asia, sales veteran, Arthur Ng joins the company as the Chief Commercial Officer. Ng reports directly to Patrick Tan, Co-founder of Keepital.

Commenting on Ng’s appointment, Tan, said, “With Arthur’s vast experiences in the B2B digital advertising sector, especially through our previous work experiences together at Greenbook for a couple of years, our like-minded visions can further empower us to move Keepital.com efficiently towards our objectives.”

Ng takes ownership of the customer and the customer interface with the product or service offering, making sure that all functions of the organization are aligned to meet its strategic commercial objectives. “After 7 Years of B2B merchant acquisitions from Singapore to Malaysia and Thailand, it’s a high time for Keepital.com to engage in various strategic partnerships that complement our growth in Asia. This position is vital in our current position to scale aggressively and reach out to help more SMEs in this region.” added, Tan.

With so much excitement, Ng shared, “Finally, I am here at Keepital! I am incredibly proud that Patrick and his team has persevered and developed Keepital to a platform it is today. The mission is to help the SMEs to grow by providing them a much cost-effective marketing platform to reach out to their targeted customers in APAC. I am very excited and grateful to be part of the mission to grow the business together.”

Keepital is an online platform, a pre-approved Singapore’s Productivity Solutions Grant vendor, focusing on building connections and helping businesses grow in the industrial and commercial industry. It believes and strives to be the portal to connect ASIA B2B SMEs together, making sourcing and purchasing of products easier and faster; breaking away language and technology barriers commonly faced today.

Mumbai, India — DoubleVerify continues its growth with the appointment of digital media veteran, Nachiket Deole (pictured), to lead business operations in India.

Deole is charged with setting up DV’s operations in India and will lead efforts to establish strategic relationships with brands and agencies to help them maximize their digital investments.

A 15-year digital media veteran, Deole was previously an Agency Relationship Lead at LinkedIn, where he played an instrumental role in developing successful partnerships between LinkedIn and key communications agency partners in India. Prior to LinkedIn, Deole served as the Partner for Digital at Mindshare, where he spearheaded the digital business for Mindshare’s West India region. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at IPG’s premier media agency, Lintas Media Group.

India has seen an exponential rise in digital media consumption over the past few years – a trend that is predicted to accelerate.

Nachiket Deole, Head of Sales, DoubleVerify India

“With the changing business landscape, digital marketing adoption is bound to grow. A lot of brands are already investing significant budgets across digital media and the need for independent media quality and performance measurement is growing in tandem. I’m excited to join DV at this pivotal time, and look forward to advancing the company’s industry-leading verification solutions in the India market.” said Deole.

“Launching operations in India represents a significant milestone for DoubleVerify, and we’re excited to welcome Nachiket to the team,” said Jordan Khoo, APAC Managing Director, DoubleVerify. “The issues of brand safety, ad fraud and viewability have only become more critical and complex across the digital advertising ecosystem worldwide. DV’s expansion into India will allow us to bring much-needed transparency to global brands placing their digital investments in the region – helping them safeguard brand reputation and maximize campaign performance.”

Manila, Philippines — It is always so encouraging to see homegrown talents given a chance to grow more in the company. This definitely drives motivation and team morale – what more if the opportunities are to step up in high-level leadership roles. This is evident in recent key leadership movements in MullenLowe Philippines.

Mike Trillana is the newly appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of MullenLowe Philippines. He takes the reins from Leigh Reyes, who now joins the local shareholder consortium while taking the duties of Chief Product Consultant.

Way back when it was still Lowe Philippines, Trillana has been in the agency leadership role as the VP for Business Development before becoming Chief Operating Officer in 2015. On the other hand, Reyes joined the group in 2009 as an Executive Creative Director before moving up as President and CEO in 2012. The two have led the agency with remarkable successes in the last decade.

“Mike is an unrelenting entrepreneur. This has proven incredibly important not just for the agency, but also for clients,” said, Reyes. “With Mike leading the team, I am confident that clients will thrive.”

Other key promotions include Abi Aquino, who is now the agency’s Chief Creative Officer, Roman Carlo Olivares takes the Deputy ECD and Raffy Bariso, the new Executive Director for Technology & Platforms.

With homegrown talent leading the agency, Trillana is confident that clients will continue to leverage MullenLowe’s signature Challenger Mentality—especially in a new era that is particularly challenging for brands. 

“These are definitely unprecedented times we find ourselves in. The successful brands will be those that remain agile, flexible, and relevant.  Our current and future clients can expect to leverage MullenLowe’s Challenger Mentality and the agency’s different hyperbundled offerings to navigate this once-in-a-lifetime moment.”

Mike Trillana, President and Chief Executive Officer of MullenLowe Philippines.

Singapore – Magnolia announces the appointment of industry veterans Vincent Jiang (pictured left) and Matthew Zhang (pictured right) to strengthen its footprint in the APAC market.

Vincent Jiang joins the company as the Head of Business and Alliances for Magnolia Asia Pacific, who previously worked on complex solution portfolios at Salesforce, Brandwatch and Smartly.io, said, “Joining Magnolia presents a great opportunity for me to work with a tremendous team to accelerate our customers’ digital transformation, leveraging our market-leading content management system.”

Jiang will be responsible for providing customers with insights on how to build a modern, adaptable and experience-focused MarTech stack in the constantly evolving technology landscape.

Matthew Zhang joins Magnolia as Technical Operations Leader for Magnolia Asia Pacific. Previously, Zhang worked at Accenture, where she spent four years driving and delivering complex enterprise solutions for Accenture’s top strategic accounts and ensuring customer success. Zhang who will be responsible for engaging with all facets of IT, said, “Magnolia is a first-class content management platform, perfect for building best-of-breed marketing technology stacks. I am privileged to join in Magnolia to identify and orchestrate strategies to utilise market opportunities as well as establish systems/processes to drive growth and team building.”

The new hires will also support teams in recently opened offices in both Singapore and Shanghai.

Commenting on the new appointments, Don Lee, APAC Managing Director at Magnolia, said, “Both Jiang and Zhang have a wealth of experience across the digital landscape that will help to further strengthen our APAC teams and ability to support customers across the region.”

Lee added,

“In the age of omnichannel marketing and personalization, a flexible content management system is a powerful resource for marketers looking to deliver first-rate digital experiences.

As our business expands, these new appointments will help us to deliver those experiences, while also offering greater support and value for customers in the region.”