Grey China scoops strategist to join fast-expanding team

Zhou (pictured) will take on the role of strategy and innovation director for the China market and will be based in Shanghai. She will focus mainly on the agency’s two recently won large clients, Mengniu and skincare brand Proya.

Pratik Thakar, executive vice-president and chief strategy and innovation officer for Greater China, said Zhou brings a unique strategic skill set and experience from FMCG multinationals such as Unilever China.

With an MBA from UIBE Beijing, Zhou has spent the past three years as director of market intelligence and strategy at investment firm Temasek and was associate strategy director at Draft FCB Shanghai for Nivea.

Zhou, who hails from Sichuan province, also spent about four years at Unilever China as consumer and market insight manager for personal care brands Lux and Rexona. She has strong consumer research experience from working at Analysys International.

At Grey China, she will spearhead Grey China’s growing marketing consultancy portfolio, helping large Chinese clients with brand portfolio management, holistic brand audits and new product planning.

Over the past few months, Grey Greater China has added new local talent to its mid-level and senior management teams, including Guan Haidong and Jessica Tong, who joined the planning team in October. 

In September, Grey Hong Kong hired Australian-born Malaysian-Chinese Eric Leong as senior strategic planner and 10-year digital veteran Alison Teh from Malaysia as digital director—both from McCann Worldgroup. Canon Wu (吴佳蓉) also joined Grey Group as chief digital creative officer for its China operations, covering Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

In June, Grey added two new CDs to its Beijing office: Li Hou-Siao, a copy-based CD from Xi’an, and Chan Hwee-chong, an art-based CD from Singapore.