Monks elevates Munas van Boonstra to MD for Southeast Asia

S4 Capital’s Monks, formerly known as MediaMonks, has promoted Munas van Boonstra to managing director for Southeast Asia to lead a new leadership team. 

Van Boonstra joined Monks in 2022 as MD of the Malaysia office from the construction firm Indaday. She previously also held stints at Publicis Malaysia, MYTV Broadcasting, and GroupM. Van Boonstra will relocate to Singapore for her new role. Van Boonstra is tasked with enhancing Monks’ presence across Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as expanding throughout the region. 

Meanwhile, Saufi Salleh has stepped into the role of head of clients and marketing services for SEA, a newly created position that brings client leadership across the region under his mandate. Salleh has been with Monks for three years and was most recently the senior director and head of clients for SEA. He joined the agency from Toaster and also had stints at Ogilvy and Arcade. In his new role, Salleh will oversee the application of AI tools and insights to enhance client engagement and business performance.  

Finally, Kryse Ynieto has been promoted to head of strategy for SEA. Previously, a senior strategy director, Ynieto has been at Monks since 2021. He joined Monks from Landor, and also had stints at TSLA and JWT. In his new role, he will focus on integrating cultural insights into the agency’s creative work with the goal to improve consumer engagement and supporting clients’ objectives. 

Van Boonstra, Salleh, and Ynieto are part of a wider management team for the Southeast Asia region, which also includes SEA regional executive creative director Anam AS, head of growth in Southeast Asia Yasmine Mansour, and executive producer Lee Kwok Leong. 

"Our leadership team in the APAC region has extensive experience with local clients and a strong understanding of cultural nuances,” says Van Boonstra. “This combination of technical expertise and cultural knowledge allows us to effectively support brands operating in Southeast Asia." 

Van Boonstra replaces Joris Knetsch who left the agency in August 2024. The reason for his departure is unclear. 

“We wish him well after 10 years at Monks, including establishing the first Singapore office,” a Monks spokesperson tells Campaign.

In India, Monks has also seen several key leaders depart, including Poran Malani, the agency's former head of India and Delhi senior vice president Rajnandini Ghosh. S4 Captial APAC CEO Michel De Rijk also resigned in 2023.