Tag: Vice President

Singapore – Marketing solutions company RTB House has announced the appointment of Shien Zhu as the company’s vice president for branding sales in Asia-Pacific, as part of the company’s objectives to boost its presence in the region.

Zhu will be overseeing RTB House’s branding sales activities as the company continues its rapid worldwide market expansion and growth in Japan and the rest of APAC region.

He joins RTB House from online advertising technology firm Magnite, formerly Rubicon Project, where he served as country manager for the company in Japan from 2019 to 2021. He previously worked at AppLovin, starting in San Francisco before relocating to their Tokyo office, where he was responsible for business operations, publisher operations, and growth partnerships.

Speaking about his appointment, he said, “I found the people and technology at RTB House fascinating. While many focus on how to ‘sell’, we focus on how to ‘learn’, deep learning specifically, with solutions that adapt to the needs of customers.”

He added, “RTB House is leading the way in rethinking the marketing industry. I look forward to us conquering new challenges in the industry together with and bringing a positive impact for our partners across APAC.”

Meanwhile, Tetsuji Okuuchi, Japan country manager at RTB House, commented, “We are delighted to welcome Shien to our growing RTB House Tokyo team as we approach the fourth anniversary of our office here. We are especially impressed with Shien’s experience in helping more clients transform their businesses by leveraging the power of adtech solutions and he will undoubtedly make an immediate impact as we continue to develop cookieless-ready solutions to support brands in Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region.”

Seoul, South Korea – Electronics company LG Electronics has appointed Hyoeun Kim, former vice president of beauty brand Olay for China, to be its new vice president for its LG Electronics Marketing Center.

Kim brings with her 22 years of experience in consumer goods corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). She began her career with P&G in 1999 and developed her brand-building expertise in multiple geographies, including China, the USA, Singapore, and Japan, as well as Korea. Kim has gained experience working across eight different brands of the global FMCG giant, namely Olay, SKII, Head & Shoulders, Swisse Vitamin, and Wella.

In 2016, Kim joined Olay China and was credited with their business turnaround by renewing the premium product innovation and reshaping the brand proposition, and transforming the brand into a high growth player in the category. Kim was also behind the brand’s award-winning ‘Fearless of Age’ campaign, alongside creative partner Grey Hong Kong.

Commenting on her new role, Kim said, “I am now ready to take on a new challenge and looking forward to working with a world-renowned, premier Korean brand – LG Electronics. It is an honor for me to be a part of this journey.”

Sydney, Australia – Global brand suitability platform Channel Factory has announced that it will be expanding its operations in Australia, and has hired Kevin Wong, former head of product marketing at TikTok, to be Channel Factory’s new vice president for Asia-Pacific. This new development will help Australian brands have greater control over contextual targeting and conscious advertising on user-generated content platforms.

Wong will be working alongside Alex Littlejohn, managing director for APAC at Channel Factory, to spearhead the growth of Channel Factory in Asia-Pacific. Wong will also be responsible for leading operations, product strategy, development, and driving sales growth.

Channel Factory’s technology allows brands to contextually target audiences on user-generated content platforms, brands have greater control over ad placements in a way that aligns with their brand values and eliminates reputational risks.

In addition, with the company being a YouTube measurement program partner, Channel Factory focuses on maximizing brand suitability, turning YouTube’s five billion videos and 500 hours per minute of new content into efficient advertising opportunities.

Speaking about his appointment, Wong said that he is thrilled at joining the company, adding that they want to achieve their mission of building a better digital advertising ecosystem by connecting brands with the right consumers in the right context; content that incorporates a brand’s definition of what is and is not suitable for that brand to be running adjacent to.

“Currently, there is a disconnect between the level of investments brands are making in user-generated content platforms, and the level of contextual targeting of audiences. Our goal for Channel Factory is to eliminate this reputational risk [while] maintaining the ROI of their campaigns across YouTube today and all platforms in the future,” Wong said.

Meanwhile, Littlejohn commented that their expansion to Australia is a step further in their mission to enable CMOs to consciously connect with consumers. He also added that Wong has a wealth of international experience and they are delighted to have him spearhead their operations in Australia and the wider APAC region.

“Channel Factory’s brand suitability solution goes far beyond traditional brand safety technologies and brings the contextual alignment of traditional TV and broadcast environments to user-generated content, while embedding its own brand values into the media planning strategy. Brand suitability is the metric that marketers need to work towards, in making sure they maximize their return on ad spend,” Littlejohn said.

Along with Wong, Channel Factory has made a number of diverse experienced hires, including Zenith’s Rhys Bennett as sales solution director.

Singapore – Global video and CTV programmatic advertising platform Unruly has appointed former head of publisher services at AOL Grant Bingham as its newest vice president for international media business development. He will be leading the media partnerships in Unruly’s international markets across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regions.

Bingham will focus on identifying and capitalizing on the major opportunities for media companies today, as connected TV and video demand surges in the programmatic marketplace. This is in order to deliver omnichannel advertising solutions and monetization strategies to some of the world’s largest media organizations and brands via Unruly.

He brings 13 years of experience in media and advertising, where he worked closely with the largest broadcasters and publishers across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Aside from AOL, he has launched and led the programmatic strategy for companies Nine Entertainment Co, Seven West Media and, most recently, Are Media in London.

His experience in leading publisher businesses and monetization through programmatic platforms stands him in good stead in driving adoption of Unruly’s programmatic offering, especially in the rapidly growing CTV market.

“I am truly excited to be joining Unruly at this key time in their evolution, as connected TV has risen out of 2020 as one of the fastest-growing channels and key opportunities for publishers and advertisers. As a video-first platform, Unruly has delivered great value in this space for publishers and advertisers across the world, and I look forward to building on this momentum, working alongside Unruly’s clients to unlock growth opportunities and optimize the value of their inventory through Unruly’s tech and data-driven solutions,” Bingham said, regarding his appointment.

Based in Sydney, Bingham will report to Unruly’s Chief Strategy Officer Kenneth Suh.

Suh commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Grant on board our team. His broad experience and expertise in the media and ad tech industry make him a valuable addition to Unruly as we continue our growth as one of the largest CTV/OTT and multi-screen ad platforms in the world. APAC and EMEA are critical focus markets for Unruly, and we believe Grant’s appointment will help accelerate the value and opportunities we bring to publishers and advertisers in these regions.” 

Recently, Unruly’s parent company Tremor International, has entered into a partnership with DoubleVerify to launch an ‘Authentic Brand Suitability’ solution, which creates a centralized set of brand safety and fraud controls.

Singapore – Global customer and employee experience company Medallia has appointed Denise Miura as its vice president for Asia-Pacific and Japan, where she will spearhead the company’s growth in the region.

Miura has deep experience working in the region for clients in the big data and analytics industry, having worked with MarkLogic for 17 years, where she set up and grew the Japan operations for the American-based enterprise software and data integration company.

“I am excited to be part of this high-growth company. Medallia has a great product that enables enterprises to build strong customer advocacy and an engaged workforce. Its focus on consultative selling and building long-term partnerships [resonate] with me,” she said regarding her appointment.

She added, “Amid the pandemic, we will step up our support for enterprises in APAC to accelerate their digital transformation by enabling them to seamlessly integrate both online and offline experiences, so as to connect better with their employees and customers. We believe these efforts will help enterprises effectively navigate the pandemic environment, make smarter decisions, and augment sales.”

The company’s operations in APAC have grown significantly from a single market presence in Australia to five markets, including New Zealand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea. With its SaaS platform, Medallia Experience Cloud, the firm has built a track record in APAC in key industries such as automotive, telecommunications, retail and financial services.

Meanwhile, Greg Philiotis, senior vice president and head of international at Medallia, commented, “Her on-the-ground experience particularly in Japan, as well as strong knowledge of channel marketing and familiarity with the enterprise-grade software space are extremely valuable. Under her leadership, I am confident that Medallia APAC will continue to scale in this very important market – especially in the area of partnering companies to deliver real business impact.”

Singapore – Customer experience platform Emplifi has appointed Varun Sharma, former head of sales and director of CX applications for SEA at Oracle, to assume the position of vice president for APAC and Japan.

Sharma has over 18 years of experience in CX, digital, and hi-tech industries. Aside from his previous role at Oracle, he has also worked with Adobe, where he led Strategic Industries for their Digital Experience business in the SEA region.

In his new role, Sharma will be leading Emplifi’s Japan and APAC business, with teams across Singapore, Emplifi’s JAPAC headquarters, and Sydney. He will also be the key in driving growth and developing customer and partner relationships across the region as CX becomes a top priority for brands.

Commenting on his new role, Sharma said he is thrilled to be joining the JAPAC team at this exciting time in Emplifi’s journey, as the pandemic really accelerated digitalization in the region, across Asia and ANZ, driving marketers to greatly increase their spend on social media advertising and on CX solutions overall. 

“Emplifi’s offering is well-positioned to help businesses across JAPAC to deliver more connected brand experiences across channels, meeting customer needs at every touchpoint of the buyer journey,” said Sharma.

Nikola Pantovic, Emplifi’s chief revenue officer, said, “We’re very excited to welcome Varun to the Emplifi family. His experience building and leading sales teams, combined with his understanding of the CX landscape and knowledge of the Asian market will be key, as we continue to strengthen our focus on the JAPAC region.”

The appointment comes after the recently announced merger of CX company Astute Solutions and digital marketing company Socialbakers. Both businesses rebranded as Emplifi, which will cater to a middle ground of services centered on CX strategies for digital marketing purposes.

Singapore – Programmatic digital advertising company PubMatic has appointed Vijay Anand Kunduri, former managing director of video advertising platform Unruly for Asia, to assume the role of regional vice president of OTT business for APAC.

Kunduri brings more than two decades of experience working with leading broadcast, video-on-demand, and digital companies across APAC. In the last decade, he has helped to establish American and European ad tech companies in the region, including setting up video ad network Adotube in SEA, and spearheading Switzerland-based Viewster’s move into the VOD and OTT markets in the region. 

As part of his new role, Kunduri will be accelerating the growth of the PubMatic’s OTT and video business across the region. He will also be consulting with existing publishers, creating new relationships, and further establishing PubMatic as a preferred platform for media buyers and publishers.

The newly appointed VP noted that there has been explosive growth in the adoption of connected screens and consumption of streaming content in the region.

“Brands and OTT publishers have a tremendous opportunity to engage consumers and find new revenue with programmatic partners like PubMatic that offer the optimal combination of technology and premium advertiser and content partnerships,” said Kunduri.

Jason Barnes, PubMatic’s chief revenue officer for APAC, commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Vijay to the PubMatic team. We’ve been building an innovative OTT business in the APAC region, which we plan to further accelerate under his leadership.”

PubMatic and market measurement firm Nielsen in Australia has also recently announced a new data collaboration, which now makes Nielsen’s audience data available in PubMatic’s Audience Encore™ product, allowing advertisers to buy premium omnichannel inventory layered with quality data for precision targeting and better performance.

New York, United States – Index Exchange, the global advertising marketplace where premium digital media companies transact ad impressions with accountability and in real-time, has just announced the appointment of Wade Ware, former vice president of professional services at digital advertising company MediaMath, to assume its first-of-its-kind global role of vice president of technical solutions.

The global role aims to emphasize Index’s commitment to strategically connect media owners and media buyers, as well as better aligning internal and technical teams for a customer-first approach.

As part of his new role, Ware will be leading a global team focused on delivering world-class technology solutions to Index’s customers, working closely with publishers, app developers, and CTV publishers and platforms, as well as agencies, and brand marketers to understand their business challenges and objectives. His new team will also be managing efforts to ensure fast, effective, and correct technical integrations, making it easier and more efficient for buyers to transact across all channels and formats.

Ware brings over 15 years of digital advertising experience. Aside from his previous role at MediaMath, he has also held technical services roles at Yahoo, AppNexus, and Conversant. 

Commenting on his appointment, Ware said that he is looking forward to joining the team and finding the most strategic approach for complex scenarios while working with the rest of the business to deliver on our customer’s needs.

“Index has consistently led the industry when it comes to their buy and sell-side relationships, and much of that can be attributed to their technical prowess,” said Ware.

Meanwhile, Jessica Breslav, Index’s chief customer officer, shared that as Index continues to accelerate growth on a global scale, the top priority remains to deliver best-in-class solutions to the customers and partners.

“Wade’s extensive industry experience will be absolutely critical in our continued quest to provide and share technical expertise, solutions consulting, and operational support with both media owners and media buyers,” said Breslav.

Index Exchange said that the announcement also signifies continued company growth and global expansion, coming nearly a year after the joining of Jessica Breslav as chief customer officer and Lori Goode as chief marketing officer.

Singapore – The global customer experience orchestration company, Genesys, has just announced two new senior appointments, to reaffirm the importance of APAC as a growth market for the company. 

The key senior hires are Assaf Tarnopolsky, the new senior vice president and general manager for APAC, and Stephen Hamill, the new vice president for ASEAN and South Asia.

Tarnopolsky will be driving cloud business momentum in APAC, which experienced strong growth in the fiscal year 2021. He brings with him more than 25 years of leadership experience to the role, including most recently as director of marketing solutions for SEA, North Asia, and Japan at LinkedIn, where he drove significant growth for the platform’s advertising business in Asia. Tarnopolsky’s past media and technology career highlights also include serving as the CEO of tech-news start-up Tecca.com, the vice president at Sony Pictures, and director of international business development at mobile-media pioneer MobiTV.

Meanwhile, Hamill will be responsible for business strategy and sales with a focus on accelerating the growth of Genesys in ASEAN and South Asia. He possesses more than two decades of expertise, having held senior leadership roles in APAC with technology firms such as Oracle and Adobe.

Commenting on his appointment, Tarnopolsky said that he looks forwards to being a part of Genesys at a pivotal point in its journey to assist businesses in their digital transformation journey.

Meanwhile, Hamill commented, “I am thrilled to be driving the next chapter of growth for Genesys and look forward to deepening our presence across the region.”

ML Maco, Genesys’ executive vice president for global sales and field operations, shared that customer experience has become a strategic differentiator as companies adopt cloud and digital technologies to meet customers’ evolving expectations, especially post-pandemic. 

“I am confident with Genesys, they have the platform to transform customer interaction into an empathetic customer experience. The leadership of Assaf and Stephen will help APAC businesses realize the value of the vision we call ‘Experience as a Service’,” said Maco.

The appointments come after Gwilym Funnell’s elevation from Genesys’ head of Asia Pacific to global head of strategic growth, which is a newly created global role responsible for identifying new opportunities for the company to expand across new market segments and establish strategic partnerships.

Hong Kong – Ogilvy’s global growth and innovation arm, Ogilvy Consulting, has just launched a new practice called ‘Behavioral Science’ in Asia, which works to creatively apply the insights of contemporary behavioral science to diagnose, create, and validate ‘unseen opportunities’. 

The ‘Behavioral Science’ practice, which was first launched in North America in 2017, focuses on how audiences think, feel, and behave to improve marketing and communications effectiveness. By moving away from assumptions about consumers, the practice uses the latest insights from social psychology and behavioral economics, which in turn ensures creative solutions are touching the right nerves.

Following this endeavor, Ogilvy has also appointed Paolo Mercado as the new vice president of ‘Behavioral Science’. He will report directly to Jerry Smith, Ogilvy’s president of growth and innovation and Ogilvy Consulting’s CEO for Asia.

Mercado brings with him 12 years of experience working with Nestlé, where he headed up marketing and communications in China. He also led Nestlé’s Innovation in the Philippines. Throughout his career, Mercado has managed marketing projects in all major geographies of APAC, North America, and Latin America, as well as Europe, and the Middle East.

Besides his previous roles in Nestlé, Mercado is also the founding president of the Creative Economy Council of the Philippines, a think tank that advocates for the recognition of creative industries as the country’s next economic growth driver.

Mercado said that ‘Behavioral Science’ looks beyond demographics and what people say, to the inner workings of how people view the world and create their own identities. 

“Instead of targeting people, understanding them works better. And that’s at the heart of how ‘Behavioral Science’ helps us as marketers, by creating more effective ways to help brands achieve better outcomes,” said Mercado.

Meanwhile, Smith believes that ‘Behavioral Science’ is the key to unlocking that potential for organizational performance, product development, communications strategy, and service optimization.

“‘Behavioral Science’ will create a real edge for us in the marketplace, and Paolo’s diverse marketing and innovation experience, in addition to his background in psychology, makes him the perfect leader to help us transform the way we understand and move people on behalf of our clients,” said Smith.