Van Motman, formerly DDB's regional head of international accounts, has been charged with achieving "quick, significant" results in China where DDB's relatively late start has made it difficult to catch rivals.
"Size is a challenge," said the agency's Asia-Pacific president and CEO John Zeigler. "We have some fantastic client opportunities but we don't have the resources on the ground to tackle them as effectively as we would like."
"Size is a challenge," said the agency's Asia-Pacific president and CEO John Zeigler. "We have some fantastic client opportunities but we don't have the resources on the ground to tackle them as effectively as we would like."
Zeigler described the move as "the most significant thing we've done (in China) for 10 years".
One of van Motman's first priorities will be to hire a national MD and creative director to rapidly build operations in China where DDB has just 26 staff. The move follows a regional meeting in Shanghai where the agency committed to breaking down silos between different specialist businesses, appointing North Asia president Doug Faudet to oversee regional HR and organisational reforms. This includes the appointment of the agency's first-ever talent officer for Asia-Pacific, expected to be in place by the first half of 2006. Van Motman will oversee four areas: advertising, DM, interactive and healthcare.
