Martin Lever to replace Thierry Halbroth as Cathay ECD at McCann

Martin Lever (pictured), ECD of TBWA UAE, will return to Hong Kong to take over from Halbroth on Cathay Pacific in late August.

Halbroth has held the position for the past seven years. He will begin his new role at Commonwealth, McCann’s regional agency hub for GM’s Chevrolet brand, on 15 July.

Halbroth will be responsible for creative development on the automotive brand across Asia but will focus on Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan, according to a statement from McCann Worldgroup. He will also chair the McCann Worldgroup Thailand Creative Council.

Before joining TBWA in Dubai, Lever managed McCann Worldgroup’s regional creative team for Intel. At TBWA, he was responsible for creative work across three offices and helped win accounts such as Etihad Airways and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

Lever lived in Hong Kong for 21 years. He said Cathay Pacific was "a brand dear to my heart, both professionally and personally". He added "there is much to do in helping drive new revenues, build new loyalties and create new conversations" for the airline.

Vince Viola, managing director of McCann Hong Kong and Cathay Pacific Central Team, described Lever as “a master storyteller” who is “brilliant at telling those stories across truly integrated platforms”.