Kristula-Green has spent the past 13 years working with Burnett in Japan; she is currently Beacon Communications' president and representative director. Beacon is a partnership with Dentsu resulting from the merger of Burnett's and D'Arcy's operations in Japan. In her current role, Kristula-Green has instilled in staff the need to be innovative and to "get close to the consumers, the people who buy and use the products we help our clients market". It was the quest for new insights that led Beacon to add a fully-equipped kitchen and beauty salon to the newly-designed office in 2002.
Under Pinder's leadership over the past four years, Burnett has consistently been ranked among the region's top three agencies by Media.
The network won the Agency of the Year accolade in 2001, a year after Pinder took over regional responsibilities.
He said the challenge in his new role would be to "ensure that there is the same level of energy, passion and team spirit that we have here in Asia".
Additional reporting by Alfred Hille
Beacon head takes over from Pinder
Leo Burnett has named Michelle Kristula-Green as its Asia-Pacific managing director, replacing Richard Pinder who has been promoted to president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.