Move and win roundup: Week of September 11, 2023

McCann Worldgroup Japan has appointed Takashi Aoki as the representative director and president of McCann Erickson Japan Inc. and Craft Worldwide Inc., effective October 1, 2023.
Aoki will report to Ji Watson, CEO of McCann Worldgroup Japan. Before joining McCann Worldgroup, Aoki was managing director of MediaMonks Tokyo and is an experienced strategic thinker with over 20 years in marketing, branding and customer experience. Aoki has worked on a wide range of global and Japanese brands, including FMCG, luxury, cosmetics, tech platforms, automobile, tourism, pharmaceutics and F&B, across management positions in Dentsu Y&R Tokyo, J. Walter Thompson Japan and J. Walter Thompson Shanghai, Publicis Groupe and Saatchi & Saatchi Tokyo. 

Dentsu Creative India has won the digital creative mandate for two healthcare brands, namely, Shelcal and Unienzyme, under Torrent Pharmaceuticals, following a multi-agency pitch. The accounts will be serviced from the agency’s Mumbai office. As per the mandate, Dentsu Creative India will play a pivotal role in enhancing and expanding the digital presence of these brands and making their debut in the OTC (over-the-counter) market. The collaboration between the agency and the brands goes beyond conventional approaches. The aim is to delve into lesser-known health topics in India, particularly focusing on calcium deficiency and gut health. 

Howatson+Company has appointed Andrew Drougas to head up its Melbourne office as managing director. He will partner with the leadership team, including recently promoted group managing director Renee Hyde and managing partner Rebecca Robertson. Drougas was the former chief operating officer and managing director for Melbourne at Chep Network, where he had been working for almost 16 years with the Clemenger Group.

 

Jarieul Wong is heading up the expansion of IN.Deed Communications into Singapore, a boutique agency founded in Malaysia. The expansion comes on the eve of the agency's 15-year anniversary and will have a dedicated focus on supporting startups, entertainment, technology and healthcare sectors, and non-profit organisations in Singapore, specifically in the areas of public relations (PR), influencer marketing and ESG. Wong previously served as the head of communications and CSR partnerships at Carousell Group.

 

FCB has appointed Dheeraj Sinha as group CEO India and South Asia, as current group chairman and CEO Rohit Ohri is moving into a new global role as FCB global partner. Sinha will report directly to FCB Global CEO Tyler Turnbull. Before joining FCB, Sinha serves as CEO of Leo Burnett, South Asia and chairman of BBH, India. He led the business transformation across Leo Burnett, Leo Burnett Orchard, BBH, Publicis Business and Publicis Health. He has also held several other leadership roles throughout his career, including chief strategy officer of South & Southeast Asia at Grey Group. Sinha joins FCB officially in November and will work closely with Ohri to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. Get more details here. 

 

Ben Poole has been appointed as director of growth for H+, the digital strategic group offering from Hakuhodo Inc. and D.A.Consortium Inc. (DAC). Poole has begun to work closely with the senior leadership team at H+ to define the next leg of its journey, less than a year after the H+ division was launched in the region; and to unlock full funnel client solutions. Poole has previously held senior roles at WPP’s MEC, IPG’s Reprise, and most recently at The Brandtech Group’s Fifty-five.

 

WE Communications has been appointed agency of record for Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary following a competitive closed-door pitch. WE Communications will be supporting all communication endeavours in Singapore for Scoot, including media relations, corporate launches, consumer campaigns, and more.

 

EssenceMediacom has appointed Amy Jost and Hannah Partner as client managing partners in Sydney. Jost is tasked with building the agency's partnership with KFC and previously worked for PepsiCo in New York leading global intelligence and comms strategy. Meanwhile, Partner joins as client managing partner looking after the NBC Universal, Warner Bros and PlayStation accounts. She was most recently the client partner at IPG Mediabrands’ UM.

 

Public relations agency, Rantau (formerly known as Rantau Golin) is shifting its focus towards purpose-driven communications with a new division, Zero, in a strategic move aimed at facilitating more tangible impact and meaningful change for clients. The 20-strong Zero team will be led by CEO Gogulan Dorairajoo, and include Julia Nicholas, Joanne Goh, Dipak Madhavan, Jida Zainal Azman and Adelina Hayden. 

 

Bullfrog, an independent creative agency, has officially opened an office in Sydney and appointed Alex Watts, a former national head of social at DDB, to run the business. Watts joins the executive team along with newly appointed executive strategy director Mike Dorman, a former general manager of Proximity Worldwide. Bullfrog will also launch in the UK later this year.

 

Dean Rogers has been appointed senior vice president for the Asia-Pacific region at LRN Corporation, the ethics advisory firm. Based in Tokyo, Japan, he will be leading LRN’s business development and client success operations in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific region.

 

BLKJ Havas, the creative flagship of Havas in Singapore, has been appointed as National Gallery Singapore’s creative agency of record, following a competitive pitch that commenced in late June. BLKJ Havas will kick off its partnership to bring to life the Gallery's vision as a progressive art museum that continuously fosters and inspires a thoughtful, creative, and inclusive society. They will do so under the leadership team of general manager Fiona Huang, newly-promoted strategy director Skanda Lokeshwaran and executive creative director, Guilherme Machado.

 

Emotive has appointed Darren Wright, former joint executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO, as group creative director, effective immediately. A creative leader with over 20 years of experience, Wright worked for Wieden & Kennedy and Gery in London. He moved to Australia in 2017, where he Clemenger BBDO Sydney. He will be based out of Emotive’s Coogee HQ.

 

We Are Social has expanded its partnership with the Colgate-Palmolive group as social media agency and extended to work with three more brands, Colgate, ​​Hills and Palmolive, following a competitive pitch. We Are Social has been working with oral care brand Hello for a year, and now will be responsible for building the group’s social channels across hello, Colgate, Palmolive, and Hills, and managing organic, paid social media and creator engagement.