Move and win roundup: Week of July 10, 2023

Decathlon Hong Kong has promoted senior digital marketing manager Matthew Li to its new head of brand and marketing, effective 1 June. Li replaces outgoing Matthew Lam, who stepped down from the role last month to seek other opportunities. In the new role, Li will report to the Hong Kong CEO Hugo Jehlen.  

Creative agency We Are Social's Singapore CEO Christina Chong, who joined the agency in 2016 has got a promotion to the newly created role of CEO, Southeast Asia. Her remit is to solidify the agency’s presence in the region whilst continuing to oversee the Singapore office that  collaborates with brands like Samsung, Bandai Namco, Netflix, and Amazon. In the new role, she will report to global COO Chris Adamson and continue to be based in Singapore. 

Publicis Media Philippines has appointed Liam Capati as new chief media officer, effective July 2023. Capati re-joins the Publicis family after a successful four-year stint with Meta as head of media for the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. In his new role, Capati will focus on accelerating the growth of the media practice and driving consumer engagement for clients of Publicis Groupe. Capati started his career with Starcom as a student resident and joined full-time after graduation. He grew through the ranks rapidly in over six years with the agency. Later he moved to Meta as the agency head in the Philippines, and quickly expanded his remit to take on Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam in addition to the Philippines.

The Marketing Society Hong Kong adds three new members to its Hong Kong board: Nixon Cheung as head of commercial and brand, Hong Kong Tramways, Geraldine Chew, general manager, branding & corporate communications, K11 Concepts Limited and Andreas Krasser the CEO, DDB Group Hong Kong. This is in line with the board’s move to refresh their vision for The Marketing Society in Hong Kong with a renewed sense of energy and purpose. 

Ogilvy Malaysia has elevated Jaz Lee to executive creative director. In his new role, Lee will be working closely with Adrian Miller, chief creative officer. He will oversee the creative work across the agency with a strong focus on clients such as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Guinness and Colgate-Palmolive. Being one of the youngest ECDs in the country, Lee started as a 19-year-old junior copywriter without a college degree and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the youngest creative director in Malaysia at the age of 23. His experience includes leading global brands such as Samsung, Guinness, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and Petronas, winning over 150 awards, including Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Clios, London International Award Show, AdFest, AdStars, Effies, and Kancils.

TBWA Melbourne has promoted Matt Stoddart to executive creative director and Pat Sofra to head of art and design. The move comes at a time when the agency continues to expand its core offerings across the total brand experience. Stoddart brings more than 20 years of experience, working across the whole communication landscape for a range of brands, including NAB, Vodka Cruiser, and Nissan, and winning Cannes Lions, D&AD, and Effies. His new role will support Paul Reardon, chief creative officer, TBWA Melbourne and TBWA Adelaide in creative leadership of the agency. Sofra has been with the agency for 17 years and brings a wealth of experience, working across brands such as Adidas, SEEK and Coles. He will head up the craft department, working closely with the creative leads to ensure strategic design remains a key capability of the agency.

Wunderman Thompson Australia has promoted Tammy Cooksey from experience director, Perth to national head of experience in recognition of the growth in the experience design portfolio and with a remit to expand the team. With a growing portfolio of clients including HBF, Endeavour Group, Synergy, Horizon Power, Keystart and P&N Bank, Tammy's team has developed a bespoke set of IP that provides transformation, service and marketing teams with connected experiences that are differentiated and deliver value. 

Virtus Asia Consulting has announced that Guy Hearn will join the consulting firm serving as the ‘agent of change’ to address the marketing and media issues for current clients and future partners. With 25 years of experience in insight, media, measurement and strategy across Asia, Hearn has worked in multi-national blue chips through to innovative start-ups across multiple categories. Virtus Asia Consulting was founded by marketing veteran Jan Harling earlier this year.

Team Lewis has announced several promotions of key team members in its Greater China region, effective from July 1st, as the agency continues to pursue a more integrated team structure, bringing together the Beijing and Hong Kong offices under a singular umbrella.

• Kate Kwan, formerly Hong Kong general manager, has been promoted to managing director, Team Lewis Greater China Region. She will lead the growth and expansion of the agency in the Greater China region. 
• Miranda Xie, formerly Hong Kong associate director, has been promoted to general manager, Team Lewis Hong Kong. With a background in tech and corporate sectors, her comprehensive understanding of the industries will ensure continued excellence in delivering results for clients.
• Stella He, formerly Beijing associate director, has been promoted to director, Team Lewis Beijing.  Bringing 11 years of experience in PR and marketing communication in B2B and B2C brands, she will continue to drive strategic initiatives and client success within Beijing.

WE Communications (WE) has been appointed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international nonprofit, multistakeholder organisation that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests, as its global creative agency following a competitive pitch. This marks the first time that the organisation has consolidated its international creative duties under one agency. WE will partner with FSC to support brand-building campaigns and content, including strategic planning and consultation, social media content development, as well as video and creative production, to reach both consumers and businesses across the globe.

DO, an Australian independent creative network, has expanded its Asia-Pacific footprint with the launch of a new South-East Asia business with the acquisition of regional digital media and KOL agency, Ambient Digital Group. Agency executives Matthew Collier and Beer Poonnotok have been appointed as joint founding partners and managing director and ECD, respectively.This marks marks the second international market for DO, as the multi-disciplinary creative agency continues to grow its business in Asia-Pacific. .

Bravo Media has secured the contract to operate the exclusive advertising concession for Hong Kong MTR's East Rail Line, Tuen Ma Line, Light Rail, and bus services, following a competitive tender process. The contract spans 10 years, with an initial term of five years, commencing on January 1, 2024. MTR Corporation is the largest public transport service provider in Hong Kong, with an average of 4.517 million weekday passengers recorded as of May, 2023. 

Sandpiper Group has launched Sandpiper Research & Insights, a research firm specialising in supporting communications and public affairs practitioners, and appointed a new team. Sandpiper Research & Insights joins Sandpiper Communications and Public Affairs, and Sandpiper Health in the Sandpiper Group.

• Craig Young as interim MD
• Paul Chong leading brand, market, and reputation research and measurement
• Alexander Thomas leading social and digital analytics
• Kelly Johnston and Iris Ng leading thought leadership and partnerships

McCann Worldgroup China has announced the official launch of its Influencer Marketing Unit and appointed Eve Rong to head the team. Rong started her career as an entertainment journalist for Satellite TV and has worked as a copywriting planner in Lee Tsung Sheng’s studio, and later held public relations and business positions in two 4As advertising agencies. Prior to this, Rong was the director of Artist Coordination in one of the largest variety show production companies in China and was responsible for building well-known shows like The Voice of China and Dance of China. The dedicated Influencer Marketing Unit offers both a strong entertainment marketing resource and access to a large and ever-expanding pool of opinion leaders, but also a level of strategic thinking and vision to maximise the effectiveness of using KOLs. 

Ogilvy PR Australia has launched new capability to connect B2B brands with business influencers and unveiled the new team.

• Louise Jones as digital director,
• Brian Corrigan is the editor-in-chief
• Nicolas Mendel, head of digital performance
• Jacquie Potter, managing director, corporate and business

Business influencers help to boost brand awareness, facilitate relationships and improve employee engagement, and Ogilvy PR’s new offering aims to develop this further. The team will work with clients to develop B2B influencer strategies, identify the right talent, manage engagement, build and run campaigns, and measure success using a suite of tools.

One Green Bean, creative communications agency, has been added to Taco Bell Australia’s roster of agencies. The agency will be working across influencer, social media and PR projects to support product launches and brand building. Taco Bell Australia has 39 restaurants across the country. The company has plans to open in several more locations nationally.

Shopify has selected Sling & Stone as its agency of record in Southeast Asia following a competitive pitch. Sling & Stone has been engaged to build greater awareness, drive adoption and build advocacy for Shopify in Southeast Asia as a leader in commerce and the platform of choice for retail in the region. Shopify has been operating in Southeast Asia for a decade, with local expertise and product offerings that cater to the requirements of businesses in Southeast Asia.

Journalist Kerry Warren has been appointed editor of News.com.au. Warren has been with the organisation since 2019 in numerous senior leadership roles, including commissioning editor, news editor and most recently has been sections editor since 2021. Under Warren's leadership, News.com.au’s 'Let Her Speak' campaign won a Walkley Award. Before joining news, Warren worked as the digital managing editor for the Australian Women’s Weekly and worked on portals in Britain and the Sydney Morning Herald. She succeeds Oliver Murray who, after two years as editor, has been appointed as head of audience growth for News Corp Australia’s Editorial Innovation Centre.