Move and win roundup: Week of July 1, 2024

DDB Sydney has appointed Rupert Price as the agency’s new chief strategy officer. With a 25-year career in agencies across London and New Zealand, he spent the last 12 years at DDB Group Aotearoa. Before moving to Sydney in September, he will divide his time equally between Sydney and New Zealand, where he is DDB New Zealand CSO. Before DDB, Price has also worked with Interbrand, Ogilvy NZ, Ogilvy London and Saatchi & Saatchi London. 

Petrie PR, an Asia-based luxury travel and lifestyle PR agency, has been appointed to represent The Sira, a luxury collection resort and spa in Lombok, Indonesia, scheduled to open in Q4 2024. Petrie PR will spearhead the launch campaign, targeting key markets across Indonesia and Singapore/Southeast Asia.  

Saatchi & Saatchi Australia has appointed Rachel Walker as its new chief strategy officer to replace Iona Macgregor, who departed earlier this year. Bringing over 30 years of experience from across the UK and Australia, Walker joins to lead the agency’s national strategy and planning practice. Before Saatchi & Saatchi, she was head of strategy at VMLY&R. Prior to that, she worked at VCCPGrey,  and Publicis in London.

Rajiv Jayaraj, who was head of MBCS, APAC, has left Mediabrands Content Studio by the end of June. Jayaraj was head of content, APAC at UM Worldwide before moving to lead MBCS in 2022. He joined UM in 2019. Prior to that, he worked for Prodigious Worldwide, Beach House Pictures, MEC Wavemaker, BBDO Singapore, and RedWorks Ogilvy.

Burson has announced its first round of regional leader appointments in Asia-Pacific, with 18 offices across the region and expertise in a variety of practices, services and sectors.

• Amelia Tipping, APAC chief growth officer
• Marianne Admardatine, APAC head, innovation and creative transformation, in addition to her role as CEO for Burson Indonesia
• Joe Peng, APAC and Greater China head, digital and intelligence
• Douglas Dew, APAC head, corporate and public affairs
• Michael Rhydderch, APAC head, sustainability

Weber Shandwick has appointed Farah Zuber to its regional leadership team as vice president and head of communications for Asia-Pacific (APAC). Zuber will report to Tyler Kim, APAC CEO. With 14 years of experience in marketing and communications, she has led strategic executions of multi-market campaigns for companies in APAC, the United States, and the Middle East. Having worked with Ogilvy Public Relations, ARC Worldwide and Edelman, she was also the first market leader for SPAG (SPAG FINN Partners) and was part of the leadership team at Redhill. 

FirmDecisions has appointed Joan Lu as client partner for its China office. Lu will support client growth and meet the rising demand for services in China while building and maintaining strong relationships with clients and marketing agencies. With over 12 years of experience in the advertising and media industry, Lu joins FirmDecisions from IPG Mediabrands bringing a wealth of expertise and a proven track record in financial management, auditing, and client relationship development.

Tribes Communication has appointed Himanka Das as chief strategy officer to lead the organisation’s strategic vision and drive its ambitious expansion goals. Das brings with him more than two decades of experience in media and marketing communication. Das served as country director at AI adtech firm Infomo and held leadership roles at Dentsu International. He began his career at Madison World, building his career working at Initiative, Lintas Media Group, FCB Ulka of IPG and Starcom of Publicis Media.

The Pistol, a full-service digital marketing agency, will bring its digital media expertise to some of Australia’s most beloved retail brands in a new partnership with the Brandbank Group. The Pistol secured the Brandbank Group account following a competitive pitch process. Under the new remit, The Pistol will manage paid media for the Brandbank Group’s multiple fashion, lifestyle, and beauty labels, helping to boost sales and brand awareness across the group. 

Annette Male has joined Dentsu as the chief business officer of EMEA and chief client officer for the UK and Ireland. Male was most recently the director of global agency for APAC at Meta and has also held the roles of CEO of APAC for Wunderman Thompson and Digitas.

Adobe has appointed Keith Eadie as the new general manager for APAC. Eadie joined Adobe nearly seven years ago through the acquisition of TubeMogul, where he served as chief marketing and strategy officer. In 2022, he relocated to Singapore to lead international product marketing for Adobe’s Digital Experience business and he has held key leadership positions in Adobe Advertising, Adobe Analytics, and Digital Experience Strategy.

Mars Wrigley has promoted Sean Jeong to general manager of west Asia to replace Ursula Irwin, who has decided to repatriate to New Zealand to pursue personal interests. Jeong has been with Mars since 2016, when he was the chief financial officer of Mars Korea, after spending nine years with Procter & Gamble in various roles in Singapore, Japan, and Korea. Jeong was appointed as GM of Mars Korea in 2019. In his new role, Jeong will oversee core strategic and high-growth west Asian markets, including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Samantha McLeod has announced on LinkedIn that she has left her role as marketing director of McDonald’s Australia after 10 months. Before McDonald’s, McLeod also had a stint at Coles and previously worked on the agency side for BBH, Mother, and MullenLowe in the UK.

Brand consultancy Interbrand Australia has promoted design director Megan Schierhout to associate creative director. In her new role, Schierhout will lead creative for Interbrand in Australia while also overseeing and nurturing the creative talent within the team. Schierhout has been with Interbrand since 2021 and worked with Re (part of the M&C Saatchi Group), Designworks (owned by WPP), and Sydney-based consultancy ET Collective. 

T&A Ogilvy has appointed Bac Cam Tien as managing partner in charge of creative. In his new position, Bac Cam Tien will lead T&A Ogilvy’s creative team with Hoang Tien Giao, who holds the dual role of deputy managing director at T&A Ogilvy and managing director of Top One Studio in charge of creator services. They will form a dual spearhead in designing and executing unique creative solutions for businesses.

Jung von Matt China has won the global creative business for the car brand Smart, a joint venture established by Mercedes-Benz AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. As Smart's new international agency, JvM will spearhead co-branding initiatives for the brand and its products.

PR agency Sling & Stone has launched the sustainable fashion brand Rothy’s to market in Australia. Rothy’s develops a 3D knitting process that uses thread made from recycled plastic. 

Sydney Marathon has appointed Tata Consultancy Services as its title sponsor. As part of the sponsorship, TCS has launched several initiatives. The Family Fun Run will be transformed into the TCS Sydney Mini Marathon, designed to inspire young runners. Additionally, TCS will engage young athletes and changemakers through the GoIT Kids TCS Sydney Marathon challenge and Sustainathon Australia & NZ. As a critical focus of the partnership is sustainability, TCS will establish a sustainability framework using the ReScore app, a tool designed by TCS and used by the Council for Responsible Sport to measure, track, report, and verify environmental and social progress. Hayley Pymont has been appointed by TCS as the Indigenous running ambassador, championing the benefits of running for Indigenous communities across Australia. 

Mumbai-based communications agency Quotient Ventures has promoted Adarsh Atal to group chief creative officer. He was previously the chief creative officer at Tilt Brand Solutions. Atal has been with Tilt almost since its launch.

PR firm Bloomingdale has appointed Vikram Kharvi as its new chief executive officer. Bloomingdale PR founder Diana Fernandes will now be the group CEO based in Singapore. Kharvi has worked at Adfactors PR, Tata Housing, and Indian Express. Kharvi will focus on growth, operational excellence, talent development, and expansion into untapped geographies in his new role.

GroupM has elevated Nicky Huang to chief client officer in Taiwan. Huang was managing director of EssenceMediacom before the promotion. She was selected into Campaign’s Women to Watch Greater China list in 2022 when she was general manager of MediaCom Taiwan. Huang joined MediaCom in 2018. Before that, she worked at Maxus and MEC in Taiwan. She started her marcomms career at Mindshare Shanghai.

Nikos Bartzoulianos will take on the role of group chief marketing officer at Electrolux Group. Bartzoulianos will also become head of sustainability for Europe and APAC MEA, reporting to Anna Ohlsson-Leijon, CEO for Europe and APAC. Alejandro Cidon will continue to act as interim head of brand and marketing and sustainability for Europe and APAC until Bartzoulianos joins on August 23, 2024. Prior to Electrolux, Bartzoulianos worked at Samsung in senior management roles for nine years. Before Samsung, he worked for Procter & Gamble and McKinsey & Company. 

Mariko Kondo has been promoted to head of the Tokyo office at I&CO. Joining I&CO in 2021 as engagement manager, Kondo was strategy director and led purpose development and activation projects with Toyota Woven City, Panasonic Connect, and the redesign of Lexus's Japanese corporate site. Norikuni Takamiya and Takashi Mazawa, former co-heads of the Tokyo office, will expand their role to oversee both the Tokyo office and the newly established Singapore office.

Watatawa, a WE Communications (WE) company, has appointed Stephen Robertson as managing director, effective immediately. Robertson will oversee Watatawa’s day-to-day operations and management of the business, while strengthening the agency’s footprint in Singapore and across Asia-Pacific. He will report to Nitin Mantri, regional executive managing director, APAC, WE. Robertson joined Watatawa in 2014. Before WE, he served as director of Southeast Asia at Edelman.

Sushi Sushi, an Australian fast-casual dining brand, has appointed Untangld as its new strategic partner. This collaboration marks the beginning of a comprehensive customer research and strategy project aimed at developing a new growth and brand strategy for Sushi Sushi. Untangld, renowned for its data-driven and customer-centric approach, will employ its expertise to gather insights that will inform the future direction of Sushi Sushi. 

Endeavour Group, the Australian drinks and hospitality business, has appointed BMF as its new creative agency. In a statement, Endeavour Group said BMF won out the process after it was “identified as the preferred agency for their strategic excellence, innovative approach to creative thinking, and their experience in retail and hospitality”. BMF has won the account and will work across its portfolio, which includes Dan Murphy’s and BWS. The incumbent creative agency is M&C Saatchi. 

Thinkerbell has made a series of promotions and new hires:

• Nick Bennett has been promoted to general manager in Melbourne
• Tom Wenborn has been promoted to chief creative tinker South
• Paul Swann to chief creative tinker North
• Jacqueline Archer has been hired to work on Thinkerbell productions
• Laura Stevenson has been hired as executive head thinker

IPG Mediabrands has hired Stephanie Foong as chief investment officer of its Malaysia office. Foong’s appointment follows the leadership transition of Fan Chen Yip, the current chief investment officer, who departs to pursue new opportunities. Effective immediately, Foong will be responsible for all legacy and new media investments within the group, with a focus on buying accountability and innovation. Foong’s role will oversee all aspects of IPG Mediabrands’ investment initiatives, focusing on maximising value for clients through data-driven insights and innovative media strategies. 

Market research and integrated marketing services company StrategINK has appointed Rajnish Arora as its chief research officer and country business head of Singapore. Arora was most recently at IDC Asia Pacific, where he spent more than two decades building IDC’s Digital Infrastructure research practice in the region.

Tribes Communication has appointed Deep Sanyal as the group chief financial officer (CFO). Sanyal joins from Madison OOH media group, where he served as the finance director for 13 years.