China – Dentsu China has unveiled a series of senior leadership appointments, reinforcing its commitment to providing client-centric, integrated solutions aimed at driving accelerated growth and transformation throughout the entire customer value chain.

Leading the new appointments is Guang Cui, who will take on the role of CEO for Dentsu Creative China while continuing his position as chief business officer for Dentsu China’s Japanese client business.

Cui brings over two decades of expertise in marketing strategy, brand consulting, and integrated marketing across Japan and China. In his new role, he will play a pivotal role in revitalising Dentsu’s Japanese client business in China while unlocking the full potential of the “One Dentsu” vision within Dentsu Creative.

Joining Cui is Cindy Lee, who has been appointed CEO of Dentsu Creative East China. Known for her strong commitment to innovation and client leadership, Lee has been instrumental in shaping Dentsu’s creative services and driving success over the years.

Lee has consistently led her teams in delivering impactful creative experiences for both brands and consumers. Previously, she headed Isobar China, and with her strong track record of driving growth and fostering collaboration, Cindy is set to further enhance Dentsu’s client value across East China.

Dentsu also appointed Tommy Li as CEO of Dentsu Media China. Bringing over 20 years of industry experience, Li is focused on transforming and elevating Dentsu’s media business, including its brands—Carat, iProspect, and Dentsu X—along with enhancing practice capabilities, solutions, ecosystem partnerships, and talent development. 

Under his leadership, Li will drive the media business to further solidify its pivotal role as a key growth engine for Dentsu’s clients.

Additionally, Jeffery Cao, vice president of Amplifi China, has been named leader of trading and investment for Dentsu China, bringing over 20 years of industry expertise. Laurien Lee, CEO of iProspect China, will also expand her leadership role to drive growth across the media business.

Derek Huang, practice president of CXM and CEO of Merkle China, will remain in his role to drive the modernisation of Dentsu’s capabilities in experience, data, AI, and technology. Chris Chen will continue as chief creative officer and practice president of creative, infusing transformational creativity across all client services. Together with Tommy Li, these core practice leaders will enhance and integrate Dentsu’s services to deliver innovative, AI-driven, and values-focused growth for clients.

Dentsu also brought back veteran Richard Frampton as chief strategy officer for Dentsu China. Joining the senior leadership team, Frampton will oversee the vision and strategy for Dentsu China’s client portfolio, developing integrated, end-to-end solutions to drive growth, profitability, and client satisfaction.

With nearly 20 years of experience, Frampton has crafted data-driven, creative strategies for major brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, and L’Oréal. He is a known champion of marketing transformation and will leverage his expertise to guide Dentsu’s clients through the evolving marketplace and deliver impactful, tailored solutions for growth.

Meanwhile, Ami Qian will advance brand growth at Dentsu China in her new role as chief transformation and marketing officer. She will drive the transformation of the enterprise, oversee brand marketing, change management, and corporate communications, and strengthen the “One Dentsu” culture through key external partnerships.

Finally, Jianhao Chen, a seasoned expert in software innovation and digital transformation, has been named chief data and solutions officer for Greater North Asia while maintaining his role as chief technology officer at Merkle China.

In this expanded role, Jianhao will lead the solution centre team to collaborate with Dentsu’s practices, leveraging advanced technologies to transform client services through innovative tools and comprehensive data. His expertise will be key in modernising Dentsu’s approach and delivering exceptional value to our clients.

Chun Yin Mak, CEO of dentsu China and practice president of CXM/Merkle APAC, commented, “We are thrilled to announce these exciting new leadership positions, appointments, and promotions that represent a new chapter in dentsu China’s journey towards greater success and innovation. Our leadership team is equipped with the right blend of expertise, passion, and vision to drive meaningful growth for our clients and push the boundaries of what is possible in this most exciting and advanced marketplace.”

Jennifer Tang, CEO of Greater North Asia and Taiwan, added, “This is an important milestone that underscores our commitment to nurturing and attracting top talent, which remains our most valued asset at dentsu. Our local and diverse leaders represent the next generation of dentsu China under Chun’s leadership. Their industry experience, passion, deep expertise, and strategic insight not only position us to deliver innovative, precedent-setting solutions but also give us the confidence to realise our growth ambitions in China as a core part of our Greater North Asia and Asia Pacific business.” 

Singapore – Meltwater, a global leader in media monitoring and intelligence, has bolstered its presence in the Asia-Pacific region through strategic senior leadership appointments and key partnerships aimed at launching innovative AI-driven products.

The first of Meltwater’s new appointments is Josh Drasta, who will assume the role of enterprise sales area director for APAC. Drasta brings over a decade of experience in sales and partnerships, having worked with companies such as Digimind, Google, and Isentia. His previous experience with Linkfluence, which was acquired by Meltwater in 2021, further deepens his familiarity with the company’s capabilities and solutions.

Joining Drasta is Alexandra Feig, who has been appointed as the new head of talent for APAC. Feig will lead a dynamic team dedicated to designing and implementing innovative recruitment strategies, processes, and best practices. Before joining Meltwater, she spearheaded Zendesk’s talent acquisition efforts across APAC and held senior roles in talent acquisition at Indeed and EssenceMediacom.

Rounding out the series of new appointments is Chris Hackney, who will step into the role of chief product officer. Hackney will oversee the strategic direction, expansion, and operation of Meltwater’s product portfolio.

With over 25 years of experience in the technology sector, Hackney has successfully built several pioneering companies and has a proven track record of driving innovation and growth in B2B SaaS companies. He has also held executive positions at Cision, Trendkite, Mercury Healthcare, and AI Guardian.

Since Hackney’s appointment, Meltwater has introduced a series of significant product innovations and strategic partnerships.

Meltwater’s new appointments coincide with the company’s accelerated AI-driven growth, marked by innovative product launches. In addition to expanding its leadership team, Meltwater has secured a strategic partnership with Microsoft to introduce the new ‘Meltwater Copilot.’

Meltwater Copilot is a next-generation communications assistant built on Microsoft’s technology stack—including Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft 365, and Copilot for Microsoft 365. This tool enables users to access real-time insights such as brand mentions, sentiment analysis, key issues, and competitive benchmarking, all seamlessly integrated within their Teams environment.

The Meltwater Copilot App for Teams and its Microsoft 365 extension leverage cutting-edge AI from both Microsoft and Meltwater to harness Meltwater’s extensive global data set, processing over a billion pieces of information daily. Both companies aim to transform how communications and marketing professionals interact with data through this collaborative innovation. 

Additionally, Meltwater has partnered with CYFIRMA to enhance its brand protection and digital security capabilities. This integrated solution combines Meltwater’s AI-powered media and social intelligence suite with CYFIRMA’s DeCYFIR—the industry’s first external threat landscape management platform—providing a comprehensive approach to risk monitoring and mitigation.

This partnership provides organisations with enhanced visibility into potential threats across diverse digital environments, enabling them to proactively protect their brand and make informed decisions in today’s complex digital landscape.

David Hickey, executive director for Asia Pacific at Meltwater, said, “We have seen significant growth this past year in key markets like the Philippines, Australia, China, and Japan, and AI continues to present a tremendous opportunity for Meltwater in the APAC region.” 

“Our early investment in AI has led to the development of the latest generative AI capabilities, enabling our customers to unlock the full potential of online data without the need for technical expertise. We look forward to building on this momentum and rolling out more innovations that provide greater value, empowering organisations of all sizes to make better data-driven business decisions,” he added. 

Recently, Meltwater’s consumer intelligence solution provided in-depth insights into the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Through visual analytics and social listening, it assessed how sports brands engaged with audiences and how the performance of select athletes influenced their visibility.

Hong Kong – Performance marketing agency NP Digital has made new senior hires, with Gary Cheung appointed as general manager for Hong Kong and Taiwan and Melissa Cheng as country manager for Malaysia, to fuel enterprise growth across its APAC markets.

The new hires will lead the expansion of NP Digital in their respective countries, collaborating closely with the agency’s APAC team, made up of recent hires Manuel Denoual, general manager of NP Digital Singapore, and Kris Casey, senior SEO lead.

In his new role as general manager for Hong Kong and Taiwan, Cheung brings with him over 15 years of performance marketing agency experience, unique skills, and valuable regional and global expertise to NP Digital. He has worked with APAC’s key growth sectors and has served previous roles at Publicis Media, SearchGuru, and iProspect.

Cheung’s extensive experience in digital performance marketing, coupled with his in-depth knowledge of Asia’s marketing landscape, will be valuable in leading the expansion of the agency.

On the other hand, Cheng, in her appointment as country manager, brings with her an extensive background in paid media expertise, having worked at ADA, AdColony, and Yahoo. Malaysia. She has a strong data analytics background relevant to NP Digital’s data-driven APAC clients.

The new hires will report to Dan Kalinski, the managing director of NP Digital for APAC.

Commenting on the new hires, Kalinski said, “In the rapidly evolving digital marketing landscape, NP Digital is dedicated to reshaping success metrics, prioritising outcomes that drive profitability and scalability over vanity metrics. The addition of Gary and Melissa underscores our commitment to the APAC region. Gary’s extensive regional and global experience and Melissa’s media expertise align perfectly with our mission to deliver unparalleled results for our clients in Asia. They are poised to lead NP Digital’s expansion and innovation in the region in tandem with our strong APAC team.”

Canberra, Australia – Icon Agency has announced three senior appointments, with Dr. Jason Guo as the new chief technology officer, Andrew Mackay as executive director of digital, and Isaac Townsend as lead developer, to strengthen its presence and bolster its digital capabilities in Australia.

The key appointments come as the agency continues its mission to remain at the forefront of the web and service design spaces, meeting the needs of government and enterprise clients alike.

In his new role as chief technology officer, Guo will oversee the expansion of the agency’s technology stack and systems. He is a 20-year veteran in information technology with extensive experience in the public sector. 

Guo’s experience and unique insight into digital transformation processes ensure he is well-positioned to guide the technological journey of the agency.

Meanwhile, in his new appointment as executive director of digital, Mackay’s remit includes guiding and growing Icon’s burgeoning digital team to meet the growing needs of the agency’s rapidly growing client roster.

He brings with him a track record of digital success with his work at CRE8IVE, ACT Government, and Adelphi Digital. 

And to further complete the technical line-up, the agency brought in Townsend as its new lead developer. In his new role, he will drive software and platform development for Icon Agency, fortifying its competitive edge.

His wealth of experience and expertise from holding previous senior positions at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry, EY, and Adelphi Digital makes him an instrumental part of the roster of strategic appointments.

Christopher Dodds, co-founder and managing director of growth and innovation at Icon, said, “Our vision has always been to push boundaries and deliver top-tier digital solutions for our clients. With the collective expertise of Dr. Guo, Andrew, and Isaac, we are now poised to expand our digital offerings into the DXP space and further develop our integrated digital communications and service design offering.”

Melbourne, Australia – Icon Agency, an integrated communications firm, has announced the appointment of three new senior staff, spearheaded by Emma Bridgeman as director of technology and B2B, Stefanie Safahi as senior account director, and Rania Aissaoui as account director

The new hires aim to deepen Icon’s technology and reputation management expertise, all to support the company’s growth. 

In Bridgeman’s new role, she will be based in Sydney. Prior to joining Icon, she held senior positions at Apple, Ogilvy, and Herd MSL.

Meanwhile, Safahi will also be based in Icon’s Sydney office. She previously served as the head of communications at Folklore Ventures, bringing her deep sector expertise across enterprise technology and the startup ecosystem to the agency.

Lastly, Aissaoui joins Icon after several years at Ogilvy and Teneo. Aissaoui’s previous work in crisis and reputation management allows her to add valuable experience to Icon Reputation, Icon’s specialty crisis and issue management division.

The hires continue a successful period of growth for Icon, which has seen the integrated agency establish offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, and Brisbane. The organisation has garnered industry recognition with a number of exciting client wins. 

David Radestock, executive director of communications at Icon, said the company’s continued search and appointment of best-in-class industry professionals was central to the agency’s ongoing success, and the new hires bring experience with large agencies and brands to bolster Icon’s team continuing the agency’s growth agenda.

Radestock said, “Hiring this talented trio demonstrates our commitment to bringing in the best consultants—and best humans—in the industry. They bring unrivalled experience and expertise, as well as the boundless curiosity and relentless drive that sets apart our team in the market.”

Radestock further highlighted the new team members’ varied backgrounds. 

“We continue to build the best team in the country in the knowledge that our growth is not because of the amount of people we add to the team, but the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and approaches they bring,” he added. 

Speaking on the appointment, Bridgeman also said, “This is a great opportunity to spearhead Icon’s growing focus on the technology sector. With a group of exceptional clients and specialist consultants, we’re perfectly placed to grow rapidly through our best-in-class, truly differentiated offer.” 

Sydney, Australia — Public relations agency Red Havas’ Sydney division has announced three senior appointments as the new business continues to build in a period of significant growth for the agency.

The new hire includes Kelly Lane, the new group account director, followed by Sally Heydon, the new senior account director and has also appointed Mauricio Ruiz to the newly created role of senior publicist.

Alex Bryant, executive director of Red Havas Sydney PR
, said that they are delighted to welcome this talented trio to the Red Havas team.

“Their breadth of client experience is well suited to the evolving needs of our business and clients looking for agencies with deep expertise, and the ability to flex across sectors and services to help them achieve and exceed business objectives. With our current and new client mix, we have strong vertical experience across travel, food and beverage, retail, luxury and lifestyle, technology, and government – with that experience bolstered even further with Kelly, Sally, and Mauricio on board,” Bryant said.

Lane holds extensive experience in brand storytelling and client partnerships bringing over a decade of understanding across a range of sectors namely retail, technology, travel, finance, property, and healthcare. She joins Red Havas from her role as external communications manager at the Australian telecommunications network nbn. Prior to that, Kelly worked with global communications agency Weber Shandwick, where she was most recently vice president and client relationship lead.

Lane has managed programs spanning consumer, corporate and sustainability communications, content, social media, and events, and worked with some of the high-value global clients like ALDI, Facebook, IBM, Garmin, and Honeywell.

On the other hand, newly appointed senior account director Sally Heydon is a consumer brand specialist who has worked extensively with brands from start-ups to fast-moving consumer goods, devising and implementing attention-grabbing, multi-channel campaigns, overseeing large scale events, and setting the news agenda of the day in busy press offices for her clients’ benefit.

Heydon has honed her expertise for over a decade in roles as senior account director for Finchco Agency and Adhesive in Sydney, and in account-focused roles in London, with both ENGINE Mischief and Palm PR.

Meanwhile, Mauricio is an expert in the luxury fashion, lifestyle, beverage, and hospitality sector who has applied his talents to drive outcomes for high-value clients namely ghd, Versace, Dolce &Gabbana, The Met Gala, Diageo, and ACCOR Group. He brings more than six years of international experience managing PR, communications, and influencer marketing initiatives to the agency.

Mauricio joins from Sydney-based senior publicist and communications roles at TMC PR and EVH. Prior to that, he worked as a communications consultant and event manager with KCD in New York and Mexico.

Commenting on the three new senior hires, Bryant said, “With these three new appointments and recent promotions of Kirsty McGorty to Business Director and Ourhai Turkhan to Group Account Director we have a strong senior bench to support our clients in 2022 to deliver on their strategic integrated communications programs. We have some of the smartest and most creative minds in the business but equally important is their desire to collaborate and continue to build on the wonderful people-first based culture at Red.”

Recently, Red Havas welcomed Kyra Shakspeare to its newly created position of client services director for their Brisbane office. Additionally, the public relations agency also welcomed three new senior hires to Organic Pacific, the specialist entertainment communications agency division of Red Havas.

Australia Bastion Amplify, an integrated PR and social media agency, following several high-profile national client wins, has announced a series of key senior appointments to its PR team namely Nancy Mcdonald as group business director, Georgia Comensoli as the agency’s first media director, and Susana Liu as business director in Melbourne. 

McDonald was previously the head of PR and content for Petbarn and Greencross Vets. Prior to joining Bastion Amplify, she also spent 13 years working in PR, marketing and journalism in Australia, working across clients including Hungry Jack’s, Kraft Heinz, Honda, Hyundai, Access Corporate Group, and as a journalist and presenter for NewsCorp. In her new role as group business director, she is responsible for client growth in NSW.

Comensoli holds extensive experience in journalism previously working for Channel 7 as a journalist and chief of staff in the Channel 7 Newsroom, filing for multiple national bulletins including Sunrise, Morning News, and The Latest. She also has experience in the 3AW Newsroom and regional television including WIN News. 

Alongside journalism, she has experience in content and brand creation freelancing for global firm Goldeneye Media and crisis management experience with Melbourne firm Crisis Shield. As the agency’s first media director, she is expected to bolster the team’s media success for clients and drive innovation through an owned news platform for clients.

Meanwhile, Liu has worked with companies across different industries namely property, financial services, and tech sectors to deliver strategic communications and integrated campaigns. Previous clients include Charter Hall, Frasers Property, Architectus, ME Bank and MessageMedia. Most recently she was an account director at Keep Left. In her new role as business director in Melbourne, she is tasked with leading Bastion’s B2B portfolio comprising a range of leading property brands including Jinding, Australia 108, and Melbourne Square.

The new hires follow a number of new client wins for the Bastion Amplify team with the signing of European luxe camping brand Dometic, fintech disruptor Tiiik Money, Unilever and international developer SPG Land.

Richard Chapman, CEO of Bastion Amplify, said the key hires came off a strong 2021 during which Amplify rebranded from Bastion Effect as part of the Bastion network’s new Think Wide positioning, and it oversaw one of the most important campaigns of the agency’s 20-plus years’ the Million Dollar Vax.

“Bastion Amplify continues to innovate and grow in the market with a number of terrific new clients and strong strategic partnerships in place with our long-term client family. We’re delighted to have Nancy, Georgia and Susana join, all of whom bring a wealth of experience, new ways of working and process into the team and specialist expertise. It has been heartening to see throughout the pandemic how our teams have risen to the challenge, delivering truly integrated campaigns, and working with our clients to demonstrate the value of PR, whether it be in media, or with influencers on social,” Chapman said.