Move and win roundup: Week of January 3, 2023

Cynthia Zhang has been elevated to chief client officer in PHD China from her position as managing director PHD Shanghai. This newly created role is in line with the agency’s goal to strengthen its client leadership and deliver expert media practice for clients. Zhang’s new role comes into effect immediately; she will report to PHD China CEO Joey Zhao.

Johnnie McGinness has joined creative agency The Works as customer engagement lead, while Jacq Henderson has been promoted to strategist. McGinness jumps from Oracle CX Consulting where his role involved dealing with organisations across multiple sectors in JAPAC and help them achieve their branding, business and digital marketing goals. McGinness will based in Sydney for the current position and report to strategy partner, Dan Pankraz. Meanwhile, Henderson earned a promotion in less than a year after joining the agency as junior strategist. In the new role, she will lead strategy for the agency's key accounts and help drive growth and client satisfaction. 

JCDecaux Transport (Hong Kong & Macau) has promoted Ray Lee to general manager, overseeing the business of Hong Kong MTR and Airport Express. With more than 22 years of experience in the space, Lee will will lead the full MTR and Airport Express sales teams and will continue to report to MD Shirley Chan.

Insurer AIA has appointed Tottenham Hotspur striker and England captain Harry Kane, as a brand ambassador. The appointment builds on a 10-year association between the team and the insurer since 2013. Since Kane and AIA share a desire to address mental health issues as part of a bid to live longer healthier lives, the brand will collaborate with the Harry Kane Foundation (HKF) to champion the importance of health and mental wellbeing, starting with Kane's  self-produced animation entitled Harry Kane: Resilience to promote the importance of positive thinking, self-belief and having the support of others. Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group CMO says Kane’s enormous following and influence will help inspire and educate communities across the region on health and mental health issues. Kane added he is looking forward to supporting AIA's "efforts to improve the health of communities across Asia.”

Sporting goods retailer Decathlon has handed its media mandate for Singapore to Havas Media, effective immediately following a competitive pitch. The scope of work includes integrated media planning and buying duties across traditional and digital channels. The retailer says Havas Media has demonstrated innovative thinking and proved strong performance for Decathlon already around the world. 

Independent global creative production house to brands and agencies, Tag has elevated Dan Healy as APAC CEO. Formerly APAC head of growth, and more recently double hatting as the managing director of Hong Kong and Taiwan, Healy’s new role comes into effective from January 1, 2023. He will be responsible for further evolving Tag’s value proposition, growth and geographic footprint in the region. Prior to joining Tag, Healy spent nearly a decade with commercial real estate giant CBRE, in senior regional positions leading client focussed teams across both the EMEA and APAC regions.

Ogilvy Asia has appointed Krishnan Menon as its new president for the Experience division. A veteran marketer with a wealth of regional experience across brands, products and services, this is Menon’s second stint with the agency after a gap of 25 years. During this time, Menon served as chief client officer at Merkle APAC, regional business director and then APAC COO at Wunderman Thompson and as regional director, Planning and Insights at Kinetic Worldwide. Menon will continue to work out of Singapore for the new role.

Chief creative officer at Howatson+Company, Levi Slavin has left the agency exactly a year after coming on board from Colense BBDO. He will be joining Ironclad Co, a cookware start-up founded by his wife and fellow Colenso alumni Joe Carter, in a full-time position. Slavin took to LinkedIn to announce: “After 20+ years of working in advertising, I’ve decided to leave the agency world. I’ve worked with incredible people, made lifelong friends, and lots of ads. Over the last few years, I was fortunate enough to bounce from Colenso to Australia’s greatest start-up Howatson+Co. While the job was incredible, and our success inarguable, living away from family became too hard.”