Wunderman Thompson announces new APAC CEO hire

Wunderman Thompson today announced that it has hired Annette Male as APAC CEO, effective 4 March.

Male joins from Publicis Groupe, where she was APAC CEO of Digitas for the past four years. She brings two decades’ industry experience to the role, and was previously deputy managing director at Kitcatt Nohr, which is part of Digitas. She also held positions at CHI & Partners, Tequila London and TBWA\GGT.  

During her time at Digitas, Male oversaw four consecutive years of double-digit year-on-year growth, as well as seeing the agency named Campaign Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year twice in Australia and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Former J Walter Thompson APAC CEO John Gutteridge moves into a newly created role as Australia & New Zealand CEO of Wunderman Thompson - he previously led JWT in those markets. Former Wunderman CEO Caspar Schlickum, who took on the APAC CEO role in 2016, is leaving the agency “to pursue another opportunity in the industry in the APAC region”, Wunderman Thompson said in a statement.

Male will report to Wunderman Thompson global CEO Mel Edwards, who said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to have Annette leading our team there to deliver best-in-class work for our clients. Annette's passion and understanding for the integration of creativity, data and technology makes her the right choice for us. We are excited for what the future holds in APAC.”

Tamara Ingram, Wunderman Thompson chairman, added: “[Gutteridge] and I have been in discussions since last year about his need to be closer to his family in Australia, and this is a great outcome for both John and Wunderman Thompson.”