Jean-Michel Wu leaving McCann for Grace Blue

SINGAPORE - Jean-Michel Wu, chief talent officer at McCann Worldgroup APAC, is joining headhunting agency Grace Blue as its Asia-Pacific CEO, effective 1 December.

Wu joins Grace Blue after two years at McCann Worldgroup. Previously, he was APAC regional talent director at WPP, where he spent more than a decade working in several talent-acquisition roles, including at Ogilvy & Mather.

“At the risk of being cliché, this is a people-driven industry,” he told Campaign Asia-Pacific. “Putting the right candidate in the right role at the right time has a profoundly transformative effect on a business. Grace Blue are at the forefront of innovative talent identification and recruitment and I am excited to be part of the next stage of their success.”

In his new role, Wu will be responsible for driving Grace Blue’s Asia expansion, with the firm looking to offices in Shanghai soon alongside the existing hubs in New York, Singapore and Mumbai.

Wu will also launch Liberty Blue, a new unit within Grace Blue focusing on future leaders and expanding the agency’s M&A and consultancy services.

Juliet Timms, Grace Blue founder, said: “There is no one better in the region than Jean-Michel who has both the depth of experience and the connectivity to ensure that the Grace Blue Partnership continues to deliver an unrivalled service all over the world for our clients. We feel privileged to have him as part of our leadership team.”