Connie Chan exits OMD China for Stagwell; Linda Wang named new leader

Connie Chan, CEO of OMD China, is leaving the agency to join Stagwell as chief growth officer for Asia Pacific, effective July 2025. Chan, who will be based in Singapore, brings decades of cross-market expertise and a proven track record of driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence.

She will report to Ryan Linder, Stagwell's EVP and global chief marketing officer. Her new responsibilities include driving transformation, building resilient client partnerships, and embedding innovation into Stagwell’s APAC strategy.

Speaking exclusively to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Randy Duax, managing director of Stagwell APAC, outlined the importance of Chan’s appointment and the challenges she will tackle in the role.

Campaign: What specific challenges or gaps in the APAC market will Connie address, and how does she fit into Stagwell’s long-term vision for the region?

Duax: APAC demands both scale and subtlety. Some markets thrive on volume; others are defined by volatility. The real challenge is holding regional cohesion without losing local nuance, and that’s where Connie shines. She brings complex markets together without flattening their individuality. Her strategic mindset is exactly what Stagwell needs: global thinking delivered with local precision. Connie is a force multiplier—a bridge between people, ideas, and opportunity.

Beyond driving revenue, how will her leadership reshape Stagwell’s approach to innovation, client partnerships, and competitive positioning across APAC?

Numbers don’t build brands—relationships do. Especially in Asia, and especially now. Connie makes innovation practical and partnerships durable. She brings clarity to complexity, moves teams in sync, and turns ideas into action. Her mandate is clear: raise the bar. Purposeful innovation. Resilient partnerships. That’s the shift she’s here to drive.

What markets will be her focus areas?

We’re ambitious across APAC, but China and Southeast Asia are the immediate focus. China remains the linchpin; it’s dynamic, powerful, and always shifting. Southeast Asia is nonstop: fast, hyper-local, and deeply nuanced. Post-Covid, mid-tariffs, and in the middle of an AI wave—this is the most exciting moment I’ve seen in my career and an inflection point for Stagwell that’s ripe with opportunity. Connie’s role is to embed with local leadership, amplify what’s working, and unlock what’s next.

What will be her immediate and long-term priorities in the job?

Connie’s first move is simple but essential: listen. Understanding the rhythm of the region we’ve built is step one. Then it’s about integrating with precision: aligning talent and client relationships market by market. In the long term, it will be about building partnerships that are both innovative and resilient.

Linda Wang to lead OMD China

Taking over from Chan is Linda Wang, OMD China’s current chief operating officer, who has been with the agency for more than six years. Known for her operational proficiency and client-first leadership, Wang has earned respect across teams and clients alike.

In a conversation with Campaign Asia, Claudine Kwek, CEO of OMG China, expressed her confidence in Wang’s leadership: "Connie has been a valued leader and partner, and we deeply appreciate the contributions she has made to OMD China’s growth and success. While change is never easy, this transition has been thoughtfully managed, with Connie, Linda, and myself working closely over the past few months to ensure continuity and stability. Linda brings a deep understanding of our business and a clear vision for the future. I have every confidence in Linda and the broader leadership team to continue building on this momentum and delivering meaningful outcomes for our clients and teams across China."

Chan’s exit marks the end of a standout tenure at OMD China, where she flipped the agency into a growth powerhouse. Since taking the helm in July 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic, Chan's leadership has driven substantial wins for the shop, including heavyweight clients such as Kimberly-Clark, Under Armour, Michelin, and most recently, Hoka.

Both PHD and OMD China have been instrumental in Omnicom Media Group’s top position in COMvergence rankings for new business wins in China. The agency won multiple awards under Chan’s leadership, including a Cannes Media Lion for Apple, and maintained one of the highest employee engagement scores in the region.

Reflecting on her time at OMD China, Chan said: "It has been an incredible journey leading OMD China and working alongside such passionate and talented individuals. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together—from driving growth and creativity to building strong, enduring client partnerships. As I move on to my next chapter, I do so with full confidence in the leadership team we have in place. Linda and I have worked closely to ensure a smooth and seamless transition, and I have every faith in her ability to lead the agency into its next phase of growth."

Stagwell's momentum in APAC

Chan's appointment comes at a time when the network is looking to expand its presence in APAC. Following its acquisition of ADK Global earlier this year, Stagwell now has 2,500 employees across 34 offices in APAC. When talking to Campaign Asia-Pacific, Duax spoke about the challenges of the integration process so that culture, talent remained on a growth momentum in this: "We’ve been working with ADK for more than two years: pitching and travelling together, learning from each other. Trust isn’t instant; it’s built step by step in mutual partnership. Integration, for us, transcends systems—it’s uniting people around a shared vision. That groundwork is in place. When trust is real and the vision is clear, the rest follows. We’re not just integrating ADK into the Stagwell network, we’re building something stronger together.

For Chan, the jump to Stagwell is an opportunity to build on her passion for strategic clarity and bold ideas. She said: "I’ve always believed in the power of strategic clarity and bold ideas. At Stagwell, we have the talent, the ambition, and the platform to build work that matters—and impact that endures."