Nozoe will take the reins from Kazuhiko Sanka, who has run the agency as president and CEO for seven years. Sanka will remain on the board as representative director and senior advisor.
Nozoe, who joined Sony as a graduate, has spent more than 30 years with the company. He worked on the launch of the CD, DVD and camcorder, had a spell overseeing the company’s broadcast media, broadband and content sector.
In 1998, he was was appointed as co-president of Sony Pictures Entertainment in the US. More recently, he served as director and executive officer of Vodafone Japan.
Nozoe’s brief is to leverage BBDO’s global reputation to strengthen its standing in a market dominated by domestic agencies. “When I joined Sony, it was not number one in its sector,” Nozoe said. “But I admired it for its culture and its willingness to be different. The same applies to BBDO. We have an opportunity to make the Japan operation stronger and push on from being a top-10 player.”
Nozoe’s appointment had involved a “gentle courtship” over many months, said Chris Thomas, CEO of BBDO Asia-Pacific, who denied that it was a risk hiring a CEO with no agency experience. “We don’t see it as a gamble. We needed someone who can handle a large-scale operation — I&S BBDO is Omnicom’s largest agency in the region, with 600 people and 600 clients,” he said. “We wanted someone with international experience, a creative focus and who would inject fresh thinking into the agency.”
Andrew Robertson, CEO, BBDO Worldwide, said: “Yuki’s background in wireless and branded entertainment, combined with his strong global experience, makes him a unique choice to lead our Japanese agency.”
Sir Howard Stringer, Sony chairman and CEO, said: “Yuki is global-minded, flexible, confident and people orientated, which should serve him well in his new role.”
