Saatchi & Saatchi hires from Publicis, Coca-Cola, AdPeople for newly-created Greater China roles

Antoni D’Esterre, managing partner at Greater China for international business, is responsible for the agency’s key international clients in the region with a focus on Procter & Gamble.

With more than 20 years of experience in marketing communications, fifteen of those in Asia, D’Esterre served as general manager of international business at Publicis Shanghai before this.He has worked for Leo Burnett in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and Saatchi & Saatchi in Frankfurt and Bangkok in the beauty and hair care categories.

Linda Kovarik, now head of planning for Greater China, ran Creative Sherpa, her own business in Hong Kong, as well as served as the regional creative director at Coca-Cola Asia Pacific.

Prior to that, she was also executive planning director at Beacon Communications and regional planning director for the Procter & Gamble beauty care account at Leo Burnett Asia Pacific.

Paul Lin, taking on the role of chief digital officer for Greater China, will develop overall digital capabilities, including digital strategy, integration and transformation, for the agency.

Lin, a Canadian, has been based in Shanghai since 2011 and joins Saatchi & Saatchi from AdPeople, where he was strategic planning director, responsible for clients such as Unilever.