Nick Seckold
Regional vice president
Microsoft Advertising
Australia
Nick Seckold has spent 25 years doing the thing most leaders talk about, but few sustain: building from scratch, again and again — new disciplines, new markets, new teams, new business models.
He entered digital advertising in London in the early 2000s, when search was still viewed as a tactical add-on. As head of search at Mindshare UK, he built the operating and commercial standards that elevated search marketing for brands including HSBC, Ford, Unilever, and Nestlé. In 2010, he relocated to Singapore as Mindshare APAC's head of digital, scaling capabilities across the region.
When Seckold took on Microsoft Advertising's APAC region in 2019, the business had ambition but lacked scale. He reset how the organisation identified and partnered with customers, invested in senior talent, and established an operating culture defined by discipline and accountability. His most consequential impact came through expansion. In 2022, he established Microsoft Advertising's Japan operation from the ground up, building a locally led, 60-person organisation that introduced meaningful advertiser choice in a market long dominated by incumbents. A year later, he took on an even more complex challenge in China, launching two distinct businesses in parallel: a domestic advertising operation and a cross-border business enabling Chinese brands to reach global audiences.
Through his work with IAB councils and industry groups, Seckold has helped set practical standards across search, programmatic, mobile, and measurement. He has raised expectations for effectiveness through judging roles at the APAC Search Awards and Campaign Asia Tech MVP Awards.
Beyond the revenue milestones, the achievement he is most proud of is building high-performing teams and developing leaders capable of delivering excellence repeatedly and reliably.
To Quote: "Nick is an exceptional APAC leader whose strategic vision, disciplined execution and strong partnerships have driven significant regional growth. He elevates teams across Japan, Australia, India and Southeast Asia, consistently exceeding expectations while shaping key initiatives including sales house strategy, new market expansion and agency development." - Danielle McMeekin, GM, Global Media Solutions, Microsoft.
