Move and win roundup: Week of July 19, 2021

Gusto Luxe appointed Adrian Peh as general manager, fashion and beauty, based in Shanghai. He was most recently MD at Switching Time and before that spent 12 years with Weber Shandwick. In this new role, he will spearhead growth and leadership in this key segment, provide senior leadership and drive forward more integrated and creative work. He reports to Nick Cakebread, founding partner of Gusto Luxe.

Heckler promoted Charu Menon to partner in Singapore, making her the first female member of the company's board. Previously, as executive producer in Singapore, she has led campaigns for clients including Singtel, IBM, Uber Eats and SK-II. Prior to that she was head of production at Heckler Sydney, where she produced campaigns for the likes of Nike, Myer and Tinder.

Quantum Consumer Solutions announced an expansion of its digital capabilities and three new hires through the acquisition of the members of the Varenia CIMS team and its MR tech products. Mriganka Shome, founder of Varenia CIMS, who previously worked at Kantar, McKinsey & Company and GlaxoSmithKline, joins Quantum as associate partner. The other new hires are Ankur Srivastava, who has more than 11 years of experience in quantitative research, specialising in data transformation and analysis, and Lakshay Jamwal, a young associate. Shome and his team will be based out of Delhi and will power Quantum’s digital capabilities across the group.

Melbourne-based advertising veterans Alex Wadelton and Jonny Clow have established a not-for-profit agency, Silver Lining. They pledge to create social impact with 100% of profits re-directed into charity and social good. Wadelton, creative director, is the founder of The Right-brain Workout and has spent time at McCann, GPY&R and DDB. Clow, managing director, was formerly with Versa, VMLY&R and BD Network. The duo aims to deliver ideas that work across advertising, PR, broadcast, digital, direct marketing, radio, "and That Hasn’t Been Done Before" for charities, not-for-profits, and big businesses committed to actioning their corporate social responsibility plans. The agency launches with foundation clients Mental Health First Aid and Happy Fish Project.

Outbrain announced a series of new APAC senior hires:

• Jovary Jose, director of sales for Southeast Asia. He joins from Singapore Press Holdings where he was head of partnerships, and will report to Andrew BUrke, managing director for APAC and growth markets.
• Daniel Littlepage, director of business operations, APAC. He previously led video platform 90 Seconds in ANZ and most recently was vice president of growth and operations at proptech startup Inspace.
• Chermaine Koh, senior account manager, Southeast Asia, was formerly with Criteo.
• Calista Teo, sales manager, Southeast Asia, joins from Changi Airport Group.
• Greg Wood, head of engage ANZ.
• Krishan Lal, sales manager, ANZ.
• Alanna Green, senior account manager, Engage, ANZ.
• Ana Carolina Garcia, account manager, ANZ.

Asus appointed Archetype as its creative agency in Australia. The agency will work with Asus on local creative campaigns with a focus on brand awareness and category creation for upcoming projects. Farzeen Quadir-Hegde, head of marketing, SYS BG, Asus Australia, said his company loved Archetype's approach of big creative thinking married with detailed, cross-channel execution.

Australian independent media agency Nunn Media appointed Jennifer Olmi to the newly created role of digital director in its Sydney office. She joins from Havas, where she worked as senior digital associate director. Prior to that she was digital marketing manager at multinational beauty company Coty for three years, where she managed digital activity for brands including Gucci, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Tiffany & Co., Rimmel and Covergirl.

VaynerMedia has promoted VJ Anand to managing partner of its APAC region, in addition to his existing head of creative role. Anand joined VaynerMedia in 2019 and is credited with helping the agency grow in the region through his work overseeing creative campaigns across a range of clients, including SK-II, Prudential, Subway, Atome, Tipco, and more. In his new role, Anand will play a key role in the agency’s growth strategy across the region, reporting to Tim Lindley, the newly appointed MD in APAC. He will assume the new role on August 1.

Havas Media Melbourne has appointed Alastair Baker to the newly created role of head of client strategy and planning. With 12 years' experience, Baker was most recently client leader at iProspect where he led the BMW account. 

MediaMonks has hired Takashi Aoki to lead its Japan office. Previously the general manager of Saatchi & Saatchi Tokyo, Aoki joins MediaMonks as managing director. 

Independent media agency Match & Wood has appointed former Initiative strategy director Sam Enshaw as its first national strategy director working across its Melbourne and Perth offices.

AppsFlyer has hired Sam Chiu as senior director of marketing, Asia-Pacific. Chiu will report to Ronen Mense, president and managing director, AppsFlyer APAC. He was previously marketing director, digital and content at SAS. Currently based out of Hong Kong, Chiu will relocate to AppsFlyer’s SEAPAC hub in Bangkok. 

Mimi Lu has been hired as partner for Dentsu Media in China. Lu will lead strategy across iProspect and Dentsu X, working alongside the product, technology and marketing effectiveness teams. She was most recently head of strategy for OMD China.

Gusto Luxe, a digital agency for luxury brands, has hired Aslada Gu to the newly created role of director, product and innovation. Gu is in charge of spearheading the development of new products and solutions, with a focus on technology, customer experience and impact marketing. She is based in Shanghai and reports to Nick Cakebread, founding partner. Prior to Gusto, Gu worked at Suntchi Group and RTG Consulting. 

Luzhou Laojiao, one of China’s oldest liquor brands, has appointed F5 as its creative agency following a pitch held in May. Six agencies competed for the account. The campaign will officially launch in China during Mid-Autumn festival 2021.

Galaxy Racer, an esports organisation, has appointed Allan Phang as its chief marketing officer. Phang will lead the development of strategic marketing plans to establish the brand's presence globally, including marketing initiatives from social media and digital campaigns to advertising, partnerships, and creative projects. Previously, he was regional head of marketing & PR at Evos Sports, and head of esports for AirAsia. 

Australian adtech veteran Trent Silins has launched Kopa, a full-service contextual data and technology firm. Silins has extensive adtech experience having worked with Channel Factory, Strike Social and Snakk Media. Kopa's services include planning and insights, KPI-driven performance optimisation, and reporting for maximum transparency. Kopa will provide both full-service support and self-service for programmatic video buying teams.

Publicis Groupe ANZ has appointed Robbie Bempasciuto as managing director of its production and content unit, Prodigious. He was earlier with another production and content company Ugly Duckling Projects as partner. Bempasciuto replaces Suzie Baker, who has left Prodigous to spend time with her family.