Carat relocates Clay Schouest to lead strategy and innovation in China

At Aegis Global, the agency reported, Schouest has won and contributed to numerous awards including the IPA ROI Advertising Effectiveness Award, the David Ogilvy RAF Award and also several Effie Awards.

Schouest reports to Adil Zaim, CEO of Carat China, and will work across all business units to enhance Carat’s service to existing clients and drive new business growth.

Schouest brings more than a decade of diverse marketing and media agency experience in multiple markets in North America and Europe. At McCann Erickson Worldgroup New York he worked on Coca-Cola, which also took him to Turkey. He also worked as part of the global Mindshare Unilever team based in London, where he helped set up a business planning unit and was also acting client lead for Dove and Lipton. 

Schouest added that Crat will strengthen the China team with new capabilities in content and analytics, and the network is dedicated to supporting China as a lead Asian market.

China, particularly Shanghai, continues as a magnet in luring heavyweight international marketing and media-industry talents. Recent examples include:

• Ogilvy & Mather creating a new role to bring in James Hurman as planning partner. Before relocating from New Zealand to Shanghai, Hurman was the head of planning at Colenso BBDO Auckland for five years.
• Elke Christmann joining Saatchi & Saatchi X as creative group head for its Procter & Gamble accounts across Greater China and Asia. She joined BBDO Dusseldorf in 2001 and has worked on assignments for Mars, Braun, E-Plus, Mitsubishi and Hankook.
• Thomas G. Mattia, former global head of communications for Coca-Cola, being named new chair of Edelman China.
• DDB relocating its worldwide creative headquarters to Shanghai, with chief creative officer Amir Kassaei moving from New York.