GroupM names new CEO for Northeast Asia

GroupM has named Michael Beecroft as its new chief executive officer for Northeast Asia, effective January 1.

Currently the Asia Pacific chief investment officer for Mindshare, Beecroft will replace Chung Youngoo (Jason Chung), who recently moved on as head of GroupM Korea, the media holding group said in a statement to Campaign Asia-Pacific.

While Linda Lee will remain GroupM CEO in Japan, Beecroft will also oversee Japanese operations and offer additional support on the ground to Lee. In Japan, Lee will report to Beecroft and in Korea, Beecroft will lead the Korea executive committee.

Beecroft will split time between Seoul and Tokyo and will support teams in both locations with equal amounts of his time, GroupM said. He will relocate from Singapore to Tokyo in March or April. 

"Michael has held senior regional and global and local roles across disciplines with strong people, client, digital, investment skills and works very well with market teams, rolls his sleeves up and gets stuck in," said Mark Patterson, CEO of GroupM Asia Pacific. "He has great drive and energy, and will, I think, really add momentum and added value to the teams in both markets."

Beecroft was appointed Mindshare's Asia Pacific's chief investment officer in December 2017, after serving in the same role for MEC APAC. He was responsible for trading and investment strategy, ensuring quality local inventory, tools, and data in all markets, heading up accountability teams and driving the supply side of Mindshare's Adaptive Marketing proposition, including the set-up of performance marketing FAST hubs.

"Beeky, as we call him, has been a standout member of Team Purple and will be missed, but we are glad to have his support and leadership in two very important growth markets for the region," said Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Mindshare Asia Pacific. 

Beecroft told Campaign that "working for Mindshare Asia Pacific has been a hugely rewarding experience, but I’m amazingly excited for the next leg of my GroupM journey. Korea and Japan are two of the most exciting markets globally, with unmatched cultural and economic influence. We have amazing clients and excellent talent already in place and I can’t wait to start working with them on the future design and success of our business.”