Tag: President

Japan – Hakuhodo Inc., the integrated marketing and innovation company based in Tokyo, has appointed Akihiko Imai as the new president and CEO of Hakuhodo International, effective immediately.

With extensive experience in the marketing and advertising industry, Imai brings a proven track record of leadership and innovation to his new role. Succeeding Shuntaro Ito, his appointment signals Hakuhodo International’s focus on strengthening its global presence and continuing to deliver value to clients worldwide.

Imai began his career at Hakuhodo in 1989 and spent much of his professional journey at TBWA\HAKUHODO. He became a corporate officer of Hakuhodo in 2016 and was promoted to senior corporate officer in 2021. As of April 1, 2025, he will also serve as director and senior corporate officer of Hakuhodo.

Throughout his career, Imai has held key positions, including president & CEO of TBWA\HAKUHODO and director of both TBWA\HAKUHODO China and OMD HAKUHODO.

He has also received numerous accolades, highlighting his significant impact and influence within the industry and underscoring his commitment to excellence and innovation in marketing and advertising.

Commenting on his appointment, Imai said, “I am honoured to take on this role and lead Hakuhodo International into its next chapter. I look forward to working with our talented team to drive growth and innovation and to further strengthen our relationships with clients around the globe as a creative force for meaningful change with sei-katsu-sha*.” 

“Sei-katsu-sha” is a term Hakuhodo uses to describe individuals not just as consumers but as fully realised people with unique lifestyles, aspirations, and dreams.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Bastiaan de Clercq has joined Domino’s Pizza Malaysia as its new president and head of marketing. Bastiaan joins the popular pizza chain following 14 years working with FrieslandCampina.

“Passionate about brand building, digital marketing, and business transformation, Bastiaan leverages technology and consumer insights to accelerate growth and innovation,” the company said.

With more than 13 years at FrieslandCampina, Bastiaan has taken on six different roles, spending the majority of his career in Asia. His professional path led him from the Netherlands to Singapore, where he oversaw extensive digital transformation initiatives across multiple markets, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. 

He later relocated to Malaysia, where he joined Dutch Lady to lead digital & media, drive commercial transformation, and eventually head the marketing team for all infant and children’s products.

Bastiaan’s appointment comes after Domino’s forecasted that sales in Malaysia will be affected by geopolitical issues, and are expected to be negative until the second quarter of FY25.

Earlier this year, Domino’s Malaysia announced that its former CEO Encik Shamsul Amree has signed as the pizza chain’s first franchise partner, with six store locations namely Puchong Utama, Putra Permai, Bandar Puteri Puchong, Damai Utama, OUG Parklane, and Taman Equine.

“This marks a proud moment in our history as we expand into franchising, and we are confident Encik Shamsul Amree’s leadership will continue to inspire product and service excellence,” the company stated back then.

Singapore – Scott Beaumont, most recently the president for Asia-Pacific at Google, has announced that he is retiring from the company after being with the company for 16 years. For his role, he also stated that he will pass the role to his colleague Sanjay Gupta, most recently the country head and vice president at Google India.

In a LinkedIn post, Beaumont reflected on how Google is now at the forefront of an exciting new age of technology with AI, and how he had the privilege of invest his time differently in teaching, advising, leading and serving Google.

“It has been the most incredible experience whether in London, Shanghai or Singapore. I have thoroughly enjoyed experiencing so many different cultures, histories, languages and ambitions across both Europe and then Asia. It has been so rewarding to meet, advise, learn from and partner with a huge number of motivated commercial partners and customers, entrepreneurs, governments and NGOs,” he said.

Speaking on passing the leadership role to Gupta, Beaumont commented, “Since our first meeting five years ago, I have seen Sanjay’s drive to think ambitiously about how technology can be a power for good in the development of his home country: India. He now has the opportunity to pursue that same calling more broadly across Asia Pacific. I know Sanjay will do the position, his team and the company enormous credit and I look forward to supporting him in his early months.”

Beaumont first joined Google in 2009 where he first served as its managing director for partnerships in North & Central Europe. In 2013, he was elevated to the role of president at Google Greater China & Korea before getting promoted once again to be Google’s president in APAC in 2019.

Prior to Google, he was the executive vice president of alliances and partnerships at T-Mobile from 2000 to 2004. He then co-founded a tech startup Refresh Mobile and served as its CEO from 2004 to 2009. Outside of his leadership role, he also serves an advisory role for the popular racing team McLaren since 2021.

Makati City, Philippines – Global insurance and asset management provider Generali Life Assurance Philippines, Inc. (Generali Philippines) announced the appointment of Hak Hong Soo as the new president and chief executive officer of the company.

Soo will succeed Reynaldo Centeno after the latter announced his retirement on December 31, 2022. 

Soo has extensive technical and managerial expertise in product proposition and pricing, actuarial health portfolio and financial management, health business value chains, network and customer relations, and partnerships across the Asia region.

Before his appointment as the CEO of Generali Philippines, he was the regional head of health and an executive member of the International-Asia Regional Office. In his former position,Soo led the International-Asia Business Unit in strengthening the regional health business and accelerating the firm’s business transformation agenda. 

Jaime Anchustegui Melgarejo, CEO at Generali International, commented, “We are glad to confirm Dr. Soo’s appointment and his ability to lead our growth plans in the Philippines. The Asia region is an important engine of profitable growth for our Group, and we remain committed to investing in our people to drive this.”

Meanwhile, Rob Leonardi, international Asia regional officer at Generali, commented,”His extensive experience working across Asia will play a key role in leading his new team and driving our growth plans in the country. I am confident that under his leadership, Generali Philippines will continue to develop sustainably,” he added. 

In his appointment, Soo shared, “I am truly excited about this appointment by Generali Group. Generali has entrusted me to continue growing Generali Philippines and servicing our valued customers in the country. As their Lifetime Partner, I am confident that “We” at Generali Philippines will continue to provide sustainable propositions, value-added services, and a caring experience.”

Shanghai, China – Ogilvy has announced that Jack Yin has been appointed as the new president of Ogilvy Experience in China.

In his new role, Yin will bring together Ogilvy‘s expertise in customer interaction, commerce, marketing technology, analytics, CRM, loyalty, and digital innovation in this crucial job. 

Jack formerly served as Sapient’s managing director for China, bringing a lot of experience in engaging with well-known international and local businesses to provide personalized experiences on a big scale. His experience includes high-tech, automotive, travel, and consumer packaged goods. Prior to joining Sapient, Jack had senior positions at PWC, Dell, Alcatel-Lucent, Accenture, and Deloitte. Jack is an experienced professional in his area, with over 25 years of broad experience in digital technology, user experience design, and integrated digital operations.

Chris Reitermann, chief executive officer for Ogilvy Asia and Greater China said, “In today’s ever-evolving market landscape, particularly with China leading as the most digitally advanced market in the world, we recognize significant opportunities to collaborate with our clients on their transformative journeys and further expand and expedite our offerings in this space. Jack’s extensive experience in China will empower us to fully leverage our strategic and creative capabilities and deploy them across the Chinese digital and technology ecosystem.”

He added, “I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to Jack as he joins Ogilvy. With his exceptional passion and leadership, I am confident that he will spearhead the evolution of our agency’s offerings, employing cutting-edge practices to elevate our Experience business to new heights.”

Meanwhile, Krishnan Menon, president of experience for Ogilvy Asia, commented, “Jack’s leadership, expertise and experience is an important and welcome boost to the team. He will make the most of the power of the Ogilvy network, and the deep tech and data capabilities within it, to deliver meaningful digital experiences, omnichannel CRM, loyalty programs & continuous commerce and create impactful relationships between brands and consumers across the China market.”

Speaking on his new role, Yin said, “Ogilvy is an iconic company that I have admired for many years, one that is constantly pushing creative boundaries and innovating to create impact for clients. In China particularly, Ogilvy has an exceptional value proposition that empowers us to facilitate clients’ growth through harnessing the power of creativity, brand expertise, and a deep understanding of customer experience (CX). I am extremely honored to have this opportunity collaborating with a diverse group of talented individuals and experts to nurture our existing client partnerships and foster exciting collaborations for the future.”

Jakarta, Indonesia – Vaishali Sarker, most recently the chief executive officer at Wunderman Thompson Indonesia, has been appointed as the new president of Wunderman Thompson Canada. She moved to the Canada with her family, and her appointment takes effect June this year.

Sarkar served as the agency’s CEO for Indonesia for three years, following the JWT, Wunderman and Mirum merger. During her leadership, they have landed business with water brand Danone AQUA, as well as other business wins such as Perfetti Van Melle, Nestle’s KitKat and Purina.

In her new role in Canada, she will lead the agency’s Toronto and Montreal offices, with clients including HSBC, Microsoft and several automotive brands.

Prior to joining Wunderman Thompson, she has spent most of her career with Ogilvy throughout Asia, growing its offerings and delivering marketing solutions across all disciplines and emerging technologies for brands including American Express, Seagram, Unilever, Nestle, UNICEF, and Johnson & Johnson. She has served its offices in Bangalore, New Delhi and later, Indonesia.

During her only pause from WPP, she served as the CEO at BBDO Indonesia for a year, attracting and retaining some of the best talent for the agency to build a strong leadership team across account management, strategic planning, and creative.

Speaking on her appointment, Sarkar said, “I absolutely love the Wunderman Thompson culture, and the power of our network gives me the opportunity to draw on my experience here in Indonesia to another important market – Canada. Wunderman Thompson North America’s creative reputation is strong, and some amazing work is originating in Canada. I look forward to helping our clients and talent in Canada expand and grow to be the best they can be.” 

Meanwhile, Audrey Melofchik, CEO at Wunderman Thompson North America, commented, “Vaishali is a proven leader in our network who has been at home at WPP agencies for the majority of her career and is deeply familiar with many of the same brands we share as clients. She’s known to be an open leader with a heart for her team and a mind for setting up agencies and clients for success.” 

Tokyo, Japan – Tech giant Microsoft has appointed Miki Tsusaka as its new president for Microsoft Japan. In her new role, Tsusaka will lead the company’s engagement with its customers and business partners, and be responsible for all its product, solution, service, and support offerings in Japan.

She will be reporting to Ahmed Mazhari, president of Microsoft Asia. Mazhari previously served as the interim president of Microsoft Japan prior to Tsusaka’s appointment.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Tsusaka was previously a senior partner and managing director at management consulting company Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During her time at the company, she led the company’s expansion of service areas and established strategic consulting groups specialising in marketing, sales, and pricing strategy development.

Speaking on her new role, she said, “I am delighted to be appointed president and representative director of Microsoft Japan. I decided to join Microsoft because I believe in the company’s mission of empowerment and its tremendous growth potential in Japan. I look forward to working with the experienced leadership team, employees and partners to help solve our customers’ challenges and accelerate the digital transformation of Japanese society.”

Meanwhile, Mazhari commented, “We are extremely excited to welcome Tsusaka-san to Microsoft Japan. She has over 30 years of consulting experience working with clients in a wide range of industries both domestically and internationally. I am confident that her robust global experiences in supporting business transformation will propel Microsoft Japan’s proposition to the next level as a leader of Japan’s technology industry.”

Manila, Philippines – Current chairman and co-founder of recently-launched GoTyme Bank Jojo Malolos has joined Philippine payment gateway company PayMongo as its new president and chief executive officer. He replaces interim CEO Isabel Ridad, as the latter announced stepping down from the company to pursue new ventures.

In his new role, Malolos will be responsible for re-shaping PayMongo’s plans for the company’s next phase of growth. He will be also leading the efforts to ensure the company’s success by implementing a broad range of transformation initiatives.

Moreover, he will also lead the introduction of PayMongo’s next generation of products and services with a view to better serve its existing client base and drive the advancement of the internet economy in the Philippines and more broadly, Southeast Asia. 

With PayMongo’s newly-issued EMI licence, Malolos will continue to direct the organisation to driving significant impact in the digital financial services sector.

Aside from being its chairman, he also served as GoTyme Bank’s president and chief executive officer previously. In the past, Malolos was also the chief executive officer of JG Digital Equity Ventures, the digital ventures arm of national conglomerate JG Summit. Aside from this, senior roles at Smart Communications and Cignifi also go under his belt.

“The Board has confidence in Jojo’s experience and his ability to effect and manage change as he brings significant experience in M&A, organisational transformation and a track record in the fintech, venture capital, digital banking and innovation ecosystems.” the company has said in a press statement.

Singapore – Former chief client officer for Merkle and dentsu CXM APAC Krishnan Menon has been named the new president of experience at Ogilvy Asia. In his new task, he is tasked to bring together Ogilvy’s capabilities across customer engagement, commerce, CRM and loyalty, new realities and digital innovation into an end-to-end experience offering.

He will be working closely with Genevieve Tan, general manager of Verticurl, Ogilvy’s marketing technology arm in APAC.

During his stint at Merkle and dentsu CXM, he was tasked with nurturing and growing client relationships with a focus on helping world-class brands deliver customer experiences. He also served as chief client and growth officer for Wunderman Thompson APAC. His first stint for Ogilvy was from 1997 until 2007 across various roles culminating as the head of Ogilvy Action in South India.

Speaking on his new role, he said, “I am really excited and happy to be back in Ogilvy. It is like homecoming for me. The incredible depth of talent and expertise stretching from advisory to delivery across gamut of CX services, paired with the indisputable creative and brand leadership at the core, makes Ogilvy’s Experience offering unique in the market. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Kent Wertime, CEO of Ogilvy Asia, said, “Crafting unforgettable physical and digital experiences has never been more critical than today, and we are thrilled to have someone of Krishnan’s caliber join us to help clients in this space. Having previously worked with us in India for close to a decade, Krishnan understands Ogilvy’s legacy of unmatched creativity, and the possibilities that it offers to unlock growth for clients across industries, at the intersection of data, culture and technology.”

Meanwhile, Ab Gaur, Global CEO of Verticurl, commented, “Consumer demand for personalized experiences that use deep, accurate insights and timing, powered by technology and data is at an all-time high. Having worked with Krishnan in his earlier roles within WPP, I believe he has the right combination of skills to propose the optimum solution mix to help brands take their experiences to the next level, engaging with their audience in a creative way and leveraging our clients’ existing technology investments.”

In addition to Menon’s new appointment, Sheilen Rathod, who previously headed Ogilvy’s experience arm in Asia since 2020, will transition into a new position as chief growth officer in Asia. In this newly created role, he will be focusing on strategic growth initiatives across the region and initially focus on several China-specific projects.

Manila, Philippines – Multinational insurance company AXA in the Philippines has named Bernardo Serrano Lopez as its new president and chief executive officer. He joins AXA Philippines following his recent stint as chief executive officer at AXA Colpatria, the company’s insurance arm in Colombia.

Lopez is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of senior leadership experience. He began his journey with AXA in Chile in 1998 before he was appointed regional CEO for AXA Latin America in 2001 and subsequently general manager of AXA Spain in 2003. 

Between 2006 and 2011, he left AXA to set up his own successful company. In 2011, he rejoined AXA as CEO of AXA Brazil, overseeing the arrival of AXA in South America. He was later appointed as deputy CEO of AXA Colpatria in 2014, where he led the company’s entry in Colombia. He was named CEO of AXA Colpatria in 2016.

Speaking on his new role, Lopez said, “AXA has been part of my professional life for more than two decades, and I am thrilled to join one of the fastest growing markets for insurance, here in the Philippines.”

He added, “I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective to AXA Philippines as we continue to work together to help our customers protect what matters most to them.” 

Meanwhile, Gordon Watson, chief executive officer at AXA Asia and Africa, commented, “With Bernardo’s extensive experience as a chief executive officer in the insurance industry and his entrepreneurial spirit and track record of transforming businesses, he is the perfect lead for our strategic ambitions in the Philippines.”