Darragh Hardy returns to region as chief development officer for MediaCom

Hardy will be based in the Shanghai office, where he will oversee new business and marketing activities for the region and will lead bespoke projects, the company said. He will report to Heap. 

The agency said Seamer will remain with MediaCom, but declined to comment on his new role. 

“In the past Darragh [Hardy] and I have worked on several projects together and we have got on really well,” said Heap, who added that Hardy is not only "extremely smart" but also "has a gravitational pull that really brings out the best in the people around him”.

Hardy returns to WPP and GroupM after a five-year break during which he moved to Canada. He was previously CEO for GroupM Japan and has held key roles in Maxus, MEC and Mindshare. Hardy told Campaign Asia-Pacific that he would have a “head-on” approach to to raise greater awareness of the network and its capabilities across the region.

With the agency since 2003, Seamer has played "an integral part in MediaCom’s development and growth,” Heap said.