McCann appoints new leader for Japan

McCann Worldgroup has appointed Hiroaki Mori as president and CEO of McCann Japan. Mori is the former chairman and COO of TBWA Hakuhodo China. He fills a gap left by the departure of Yasuyuki Katagi in March.

Mori began his career at Hakuhodo. He later worked at TBWA Chiat Day in Los Angeles before joining TBWA Hakuhodo in Japan. Most recently, he was responsible for the agency’s Guangzhou, Beijing and Chengdu offices.

In a statement, McCann Worldgroup’s regional and Japan head Charles Cadell described Mori as “a true Japanese globalist”. Mori will be based in Tokyo, but he said he sees the existence of a McCann branch in Osaka as evidence of the agency’s commitment to Japan. A McCann spokesperson said Mori will visit Osaka regularly. 

“From my experience of running TBWA Hakuhodo in China, I strongly believe that understanding the market as a foreign player and being loved by the local companies is a huge [point of] difference,” he said.

Campaign understands that Katagi has joined ADK, although ADK’s spokesperson in Tokyo has not confirmed this.

McCann is undergoing changes in Japan including a full office refurbishment and a revision of its workplace policies with the aim of maximising its attractiveness to staff and prospective talent.