Move and win roundup: Week of November 25, 2024

 

IPG Mediabrands has appointed Jo McAlister as the new CEO of Initiative Australia. McAlister succeeds Melissa Fein, who left the agency earlier this year to join Accenture Song as managing director for media, APAC. McAlister first joined IPG more than five years ago, leading Rufus (Powered by Initiative) to support Amazon as a new market entrant, before taking on the role of managing director, Initiative Sydney in 2019. Prior to Initiative, she was director of content marketing at Foxtel.

 

Assembly has promoted Vivian Mok to senior vice president and managing director for North Asia, expanding her responsibilities to oversee operations in Korea and Japan. Since joining Assembly in 2018 as general manager for Korea, Mok has played a key part in transforming the agency into a data-driven, omnichannel operation, growing the team to nearly 100 professionals. Under her leadership, Assembly has delivered tailored media strategies and business consultancy services to clients such as WeWork, Moncler, and Gentle Monster. Prior to joining Assembly, Mok held key positions at several prominent agencies, serving as group account director in the global business division at Cheil Worldwide from 2013 to 2016, and group account director at Hakuhodo. Mok's extensive experience also includes roles at Diamond Bates Korea and AD.K Communications. In her new role, Mok will report directly to Assembly APAC CEO Richard Brosgill, effective immediately.

 

Juicebox has been selected as the marketing agency for Sanur Special Economic Zone, a specialised zone dedicated to health and tourism in Bali, Indonesia. Juicebox Indonesia will provide its expertise in delivering design, technology and marketing-solutions for the project across the region. 

 

Aomic 212 has won the media buying and planning account for chain chicken shop Chargrill Charlie’s. The agency will be responsible for all media, including digital, as the restaurant chain looks to its next phase of growth. Chargrill Charlie’s opened in Coogee in 1989, and now has 22 stores across Sydney and Melbourne.

 

FCB Interface has appointed Sangeet Chaudhary as executive vice president and head of office for its Delhi operations. Before FCB, she was vice president and branch head at Rediffusion Brand Solutions. Further details on the appointment can be found via Campaign India .

 

 

We Are Social has appointed Caroline So as head of account management in Singapore. She reports to managing director Nai Yen Wang. Relocating from Shanghai, So brings more than two decades of experience leading blue chip accounts and high-performing teams in Hong Kong and Shanghai at agencies including Monks, DDB, Lowe and McCann Worldgroup. Over the course of her career, she has worked with brands such as Burberry, Tiffany & Co., PayPal, Volvo, ABinBev, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Nestlé and Unilever.

 

Chobani Australia, global yoghurt company, has appointed Connie Biviano as general manager, science & innovation, and Ellie Vince as general manager, marketing. Biviano has more than two decades experience in the dairy and food industries. Her expertise spans R&D, dairy technology, and process optimisation, gained from a career with Parmalat/Lactalis, Carman's, and Flavour Makers. Vince was chief marketing executive at Brown Family Wine Group before joining Chobani. Vince is known for her strategic insight and consumer-focused approach and will head up Chobani’s marketing team. 

 

LOKi, a digital creative agency in Malaysia, has appointed Jeremy Ng as its creative director.  In his new role, Ng will be responsible for raising the level of creative quality across LOKi's accounts, with a specific focus on the Uniqlo account.  He will report to Suzen Chai, general manager of LOKi Digital. Before joining LOKi, Ng was at Publicis Kuala Lumpur as a creative director. Prior to that, he also worked for Dentsu, Naga DDB Tribal, Bonsey Jaden and Ogilvy & Mather. 

 

McCann Worldgroup has announced the appointment of Jacqueline Wu as president of operations for McCann Worldgroup China and CEO of Craft China (its production studio), effective immediately. Wu returns to the agency after a three-year absence, during which she served as managing partner at Wunderman Thompson (VML). Previously, she spent nine years at McCann, where she led Craft China as managing director, building and strengthening the team. In her dual role, Wu will oversee operational efficiency, drive business growth, and spearhead innovative production solutions. Over her career, she has worked with prominent clients including L’Oréal, KFC, General Motors, Coca-Cola/Sprite, Princess Cruises, Johnson & Johnson, Qingdao, and Richemont Group. This marks another significant return for McCann, following the reappointment of Carter Chow earlier this year as Greater China CEO. Chow, previously president of VML and Greater China CEO for Wunderman Thompson, rejoined McCann to amplify its leadership in the region.

 

Creative communications agency iD Collective has partnered with lifestyle brand Flying Tiger Copenhagen to support the Danish brand's entry into the Australian market. The collaboration aims to build brand awareness and foster engagement with Australian consumers while highlighting Flying Tiger Copenhagen's focus on fun, creativity, and sustainable design.

 

Zeno Group has appointed David Lian as regional president, Asia Pacific, succeeding Paul Mottram, who is stepping down to pursue personal interests. Based in Singapore, Lian will report to Zeno global CEO Barby K. Siegel. Mottram, who has led Zeno in Asia Pacific since early 2020, will remain with the company through January 2025 to ensure a smooth transition. Lian was most recently managing director for growth and innovation in APAC and previously established and led Zeno Malaysia. He joined Zeno in 2013 after serving as APAC digital lead at Text 100. Lian began his public relations career as an account supervisor at Fleishman-Hillard.

Microsoft has announced the appointment of Vivian Chua as the new leader of its Consumer Devices and Creativity Retail Sales organisation in Asia, effective December 2, 2024. Succeeding Su Yin Yam, who is retiring after a five-year tenure, Chua brings 30 years of experience in the technology industry, including over two decades at HP in leadership roles across Asia Pacific and Japan. In her new role, she will oversee consumer sales, category management, and channel partner marketing across key markets, focusing on driving growth for Windows, Surface, and Microsoft 365. She will lead efforts to accelerate the AI platform shift, cloud adoption, and subscription services, building on Microsoft’s relationships with retail and partner ecosystems.

Shane Geffen has been promoted to national executive director at Hero+, McCann Australia. Geffen joined the agency as ECD in 2021. Prior to that, he served as associate creative director at VMLY&R Australia and held roles at Clemenger BBDO, DDB Group Australia, MetropolitanRepublic, and Ogilvy & Mather as a copywriter.

Seedtag, the global contextual advertising company who entered the ANZ market earlier this year through its acquisition of JustEggs, has announced two new senior leadership hires in its Sydney office. Both will report to Nik Kontoulas, Seedtag's managing director ANZ and former CEO and founder of JustEggs:

• Mark Brownie has been appointed as commercial director ANZ, tasked with launching and growing the Seedtag business in Australia and New Zealand. Brownie brings 20 years of media experience, including three years as general manager of digital revenue at News Corp Australia.
   
• Daniel Macinante joins as trading director ANZ, leading the development of trading strategies across the region with a focus on optimising contextual advertising solutions. With over nine years in the media industry, Macinante was most recently group sales director for agency at News Corp Australia.

Impact.com has appointed Emma-Jayne Owens as senior director, community and enablement for the Asia-Pacific and Japan region. In this newly created role, Owens will lead all external and internal stakeholder training, advocacy and community enablement activities across APAC and Japan. Before joining Impact.com, she was managing director of Blis and chief commercial officer at Australian Radio Network. Prior to that, she worked for Big Mobile and Mi9.