Move and win roundup: Week of November 13, 2023

IPG Mediabrands, the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group, has appointed Paul Waller as the inaugural chief investment officer Magna, APAC. With extensive trading and investment expertise from roles at GroupM and Omnicom across Singapore, China, Australia, and the UK, Waller transitions from his previous position as chief media solutions & investment officer for EssenceMediacom APAC. In this new role, Waller will spearhead investment excellence and performance across the IPG Mediabrands group of agencies in the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Singapore, he will report directly to Leigh Terry, CEO IPG Mediabrands APAC, and assumes his responsibilities immediately.

Finn Partners, the global integrated marketing and communications agency, has appointed Annouchka Behrmann as senior partner, reinforcing the leadership of its Hong Kong office amid substantial growth in the Asia-Pacific region. An accomplished communications practitioner with an impressive track record, Behrmann brings extensive experience working with renowned brands like American Express, Marriott International, and Oatly. Having previously served as head of New Business and Client Experience APAC for Edelman, she drove transformative initiatives and spearheaded award-winning campaigns. With a background spanning two decades in London, including roles at MHP Communications and Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Behrmann is well-positioned to contribute to Finn's continued success. She will report to Cathy Feliciano-Chon, managing partner, Finn Partners Greater China. 

Havas Host has made two senior appointments, with both joining the agency from roles in the UK.

• Kelly Larken joins as group account director. Before Havas, Larken most recently worked as group account director and business director for Anomaly London. She has worked with Unilever, Coca-Cola, Amazon Prime, BMW MINI, Mars Petcare and Netflix, producing a diverse cross-section of work, including major global and regional campaigns for Mars, FujiFilm and Amazon Prime.
• Mike Alhadeff joins as planning director. Alhadeff worked for five years at AMV BBDO London, where he was senior strategist He started his career with five-and-a-half years at Grey London as a planner. He has worked on several British FMCG brands, such as Lucozade to McVitties, Pringles and Currys, one of the UK’s biggest retailers.

Akkomplice, a Melbourne independent agency, has appointed Linda Monique as general manager. Monique joined the agency from Almo Milk, Australia’s first almond milk company, where she was founder and CEO since 2015, and sold it recently. Prior to Almo, she worked in advisory roles for international and local brands, including Nestec (Nestle) Switzerland, Fisher & Paykel, Andaz Hotels, Coles, MINI, Apple, and Walmart.  

Ogilvy Sydney has appointed Aisling Colley as managing partner, effective immediately. With more than 15 years of creative agency and leadership experience, Colley joins from BMF, where she was general manager. There, she led the Aldi supermarkets account utilising her extensive experience across the QSR, sport, FMCG and tourism sectors, and a strong focus on large retailers. Tasked with leadership across Ogilvy’s long-standing partnership with KFC in her new role, Colley will also provide leadership support for the broader Sydney office to ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness, working closely with managing director, Michelle Holland.

The Hallway has appointed Kent Boswell as creative tech & innovation director. In this newly created role, Boswell will play a crucial part in crafting effective ideas and leveraging technology to maximise impact across the entire brand experience. Before The Hallway, Boswell served as the national director of interactive at Traffik, the activation arm of the Clemenger Group, for four years. Prior to joining Traffik, Boswell was executive producer at Nakatomi (Finch) and executive producer, resolution design. He has also served on several international award juries, including Cannes Lions, London International Awards, Effies, New York Festivals and Spikes Asia as jury president.

Human Managed has chosen Milk & Honey PR to lead its press office, brand awareness and thought leadership efforts as it grows its portfolio of global customers. Founded in 2018, Human Managed empowers businesses to make smarter decisions and faster actions for better cyber, digital and risk outcomes. Headquartered in Singapore, the start-up also operates across the Philippines, India and Hong Kong and has more than 40 employees. 

SenateSHJ has announced a new leadership team and appointments to strengthen client offerings:

• Maree Wilson has been promoted to managing partner, Auckland. Having joined SenateSHJ in 2020, she heads up the firm’s corporate practice. Wilson has deep expertise across the primary sector, food, manufacturing, aged care, finance and aviation industries.
• Darren Behar has extended his remit to the newly created role of group chief growth officer, Australia and New Zealand. He will continue to be the managing partner of SenateSHJ Australia, having served in the role for the past nine years.
• Jen Nolan joins Wellington as partner. Prior to SenateSHJ, Nolan was the external relations director for the NZ Aluminium Smelter for nine years. She will lead client projects in SenateSHJ’s corporate and public sector practices.
• Liam Hansen joins the Wellington office as client manager. 
• Dylan Williams joins the Sydney office as senior client manager.
• Charisma de Jesus joins as senior client manager for Insights in Melbourne.
• Amanda Chong joins the Auckland office as an office administrator.

VCCP Singapore has appointed Ismail Jooma as head of planning, APAC. Bringing a wealth of experience and a dynamic perspective on Asian culture and trends, Jooma worked across a range of network agencies, including Ogilvy, TBWA, and most recently, VMLY&R Singapore, as head of strategy. He was previously chief strategy officer at the independent agency Brave Group in South Africa.

It’s Friday, the independent creative agency, has appointed Heather Sheen as head of strategy. Most recently, Sheen was head of strategy at RGA Australia. Prior to that, she was planning partner at DDB Sydney. With over two decades of industry experience, Sheen has led the strategic thinking on major brands, including Westpac, Transport for NSW, Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Nestlé. Sheen will focus on the agency’s strategic vision and on driving effectiveness.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise has elevated Vincent Kwok as the general manager for Hong Kong and Macau to lead sales in the market. An industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience in the technology sector, Kwok joined HP in 2018 from Dell EMC to lead HPE’s Hybrid IT and presales business in Hong Kong and Macau. Prior to this new role, he was deputy managing director for Hong Kong and Macau. He will report to Jon Wang, whose role was recently expanded to managing director of Hong Kong and Taiwan. 

The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has appointed David Cumming and Kanit Sangmookda to lead fast-growing markets within the group’s Southeast Asia portfolio. Cumming joins as regional general manager for Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar, and Sangmookda joins as country general manager for Thailand and Laos. Before Ascott, Cumming held leadership roles with Onyx Hospitality Group, InterContinental Hotels Group and Accor. Sangmookda brings with him strong operational and commercial expertise from the past management of large hotel portfolios under leading hotel chains such as Marriott International, Minor Hotels and the former Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Jaywing, a data, creative and performance marketing agency, has appointed Lily Hopkinson to the newly created role of head of planning. Hopkinson joins Jaywing after more than seven years at performance marketing and media agency Direct Response Media, where she started out as a media planner buyer before rising to become general manager. She will oversee the planning, implementation and optimisation of performance marketing and media campaigns and manage planning for the increased media channels the agency operates in. Jaywing was recently appointed by The a2 Milk Company to lead SEO and amplify digital content and PR across its suite of platforms. 

Bastion Reputation has expanded its footprint into Canberra with the acquisition of Frank Communications & Advisory and the establishment of Frank founder Lauren Walker as its ACT-based principal consultant, public sector and policy. Frank's founder, Walker, brings more than 15 years of experience working with the government. The expansion sees Bastion Reputation join its market research agency partner, Bastion Insights, at Hub Civic Quarter, in the heart of Canberra CBD.

Bonsoy, best known for its iconic soy milk, has launched a series of non-soy products, including almond milk and sparkling coconut water, in a new 'But is it Bonsoy' campaign, together with Thinkerbell. Thinkerbell handled both creative and media. The work is now live within digital, social and OOH in Australia across New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.

Stirling & Hinds, an FMCG company, has launched a new beauty brand, Nobody’s Nobody, exclusively into Woolworths stores. The brand has engaged Neuralle, a Melbourne-based indie agency, to launch its social media strategy. On a fixed-term basis, the agency works with Nobody’s Nobody to shape its future social media strategy, launch its TikTok account, and help engage influencers and creators.