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Campaign compiles a new 'Move and win roundup' as each week progresses. This edition will cover January 12 through January 16, 2026. Catch up on past people moves and business wins. |
Kristy Nelwan has exited Unilever as communications director for Indonesia and chair of the DE&I board. She shared the news in a LinkedIn post. “Six years with Unilever have shaped me in ways that I will always value.” Nelwan joined Unilever Indonesia in 2020. Before that, she was vice president of corporate communications at Gojek and head of corporate communications for Coca-Cola Amatil.
Man of Many, Australia’s largest digital men’s lifestyle publication, has appointed experienced digital editor and strategist Rob Stott as its new editor in chief. Stott will lead a major strategic push into original video and audio content across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, podcast platforms, and emerging channels. With nearly two decades of experience in senior editorial and leadership roles at the Australian Financial Review, Apple, and BuzzFeed, Stott previously spent several years at Junkee Media, where he served as managing editor and editorial director.
IdeasXMachina Advertising, Inc., a leading integrated marketing company based in Manila, part of the Hakuhodo International collective, has appointed Shayne Madamba as managing director, effective immediately. With over two decades of experience in advertising and marketing, Madamba was most recently chief digital officer at Havas Ortega, the Philippines. Prior to that, she was general manager at iProspect. In 2016, she was recognized in Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40 list. Later in 2020, she was named Campaign Asia’s Women to Watch.
Nativex, the leading global digital marketing and advertising platform, has announced a new partnership with Netflix to help brands access and activate on Netflix’s fast-growing ad-supported streaming service. Under the partnership, Nativex will support brands with strategy, planning, activation and optimisation across Netflix Ads. Netflix's ad-supported plan reaches over 190M monthly active viewers in priority markets worldwide.
Virtue Asia has appointed Will Beale as creative director. Beale brings more than 12 years of experience in delivering integrated creative work across the Asia Pacific region. Beale joins from VaynerMedia, where he spent more than five years as creative director, leading work for major APAC clients, including Disney Studios’ brands such as Marvel, Pixar and 20th Century Studios, Prudential, Subway and SK-II, while also driving new business wins in Australia for brands such as Twisties, Optus and Carlton United Breweries. He has also earned recognition at Cannes Lions, Spikes Asia, Effies and the London International Awards.
WPP has announced that CVL Srinivas (Srini), country manager for India, will retire from the company at the end of March 2026, concluding a distinguished 36-year career. Under his leadership since 2017, India has been transformed into one of WPP’s most strategic and dynamic markets, rising to become a top-four revenue contributor globally for the company. Srini’s 20-year tenure at WPP has been defined by exceptional growth, operational excellence and a steadfast commitment to fostering a collaborative and innovative culture. Details here.
Brand storytelling agency Invnt has appointed James Nicholas Kinney as its first global chief AI officer. Working across all markets, with a firm focus on the APAC region, the role is designed to bring new AI-powered solutions directly to clients while expanding the agency’s AI ecosystem and strengthening its data, insights, and tooling infrastructure. Kinney brings a professional profile defined by AI certifications from MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Wharton - the program led by LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman. His leadership background spans Monks, part of S4Capital, and Ogilvy, as well as shaping people-first cultures at Giant Spoon and Mother.
Creative communications agency W Communications has been appointed to handle all public relations for Moët Hennessy Diageo (MHD) in Singapore, overseeing an illustrious portfolio of iconic brands including Henn, Hennessy, Dom Pérignon, Cloudy Bay, Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Krug, Belvedere, Whispering Angel, Armand de Brignac and Minuty. Under the new partnership, W Communications will lead brand storytelling, media relations, influencer engagement and event amplification across the entire MHD portfolio.
Cognito, the independent global communications agency specialising in finance, technology and climate transition, has appointed Tana Zhang as managing director, Hong Kong. Zhang is a board member of PRHK and serves as president of Hong Kong at the Stars Foundation. She founded HISTAR, a music initiative supporting the visually impaired and also devotes time for Habitat for Humanity's fundraising. Zhang was previously director of APAC at Edelman Smithfield.
Sheilen Rathod, former chief growth officer of Ogilvy APAC, has launched his own agency, FutureProof Group, blending AI-powered, data-driven approaches with human-centric design. As founder & CEO, he will lead the vision, strategy, and execution of Future Proof Group across Asia and global markets, from customer to loyalty strategy, and from experience design to data analytics.
Eclat Media Group has appointed Charlotte Burr as chief executive officer, international business, overseeing Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia. Burr will report to Group CEO Mitch Hong and lead strategy, rights, distribution, partnerships, and the continued expansion of Spotv Now across Asia Pacific, working with teams in Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore. She joins from FIFA, where she held a senior global leadership role spanning strategy, corporate development and digital. Previously, she led strategy and corporate development at 21st Century Fox across APAC and the Middle East. Spotv went live on January 13.
Lisa Leung has left Starbucks and joined Tim Ho Wan, the Michelin-starred Hong Kong dim sum and yum cha restaurant brand, as VP, global product and marketing. She was most recently, APAC director of brand marketing and partnerships at Starbucks. Leung joined Starbucks in 2021 as partnership director. Prior to that, she worked for Asia Miles, Cathay Pacific Airways and Edelman.
Havas Malaysia has promoted Bowie Tiong to general manager, succeeding Liew Wai Sim, who has served as GM since March 2024, effective January 2026. Tiong joined Havas in 2023 as business director. Before joining Havas, she worked for seven years at Ogilvy, Naga DDB Tribal and BRC Group.
Nielsen has appointed Matty Lin to its commercial organisation as APAC regional sales leader.
Based in Singapore, Lin joins the business from TikTok/Bytedance, where he most recently served as general manager of global business solutions for Southeast Asia and South Korea, bringing almost two decades of experience as a seasoned executive.
DBS has appointed Audrey Kuah as its new Group Marketing and Communications (GM&C) Head, effective January 2, 2026. Kuah took up the Wunderman Thompson APAC CEO mantle in September 2023. She later became co-CEO of VML in APAC, after the creation of VML as part of WPP’s broader restructuring efforts. She brings more than two decades of experience across global agency networks, including J. Walter Thompson, Dentsu and WPP, with senior roles spanning multiple Asian markets.
She also has extensive financial services experience, having worked with Citi International Personal Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, and OCBC/Great Eastern, giving her exposure to banking and insurance brands. Kuah takes over the role from Karen Ngui, who has relinquished her position as DBS head of group strategic marketing and communications to focus fully on her role as head of DBS Foundation.
Tony Zhang has been appointed chief marketing officer at Documents, a fast-growing Chinese perfume brand known for its Bold-Zen aesthetic. Zhang joins from comms agency We Red Bridge, where he spent more than seven years, most recently as head of corporate, technology and healthcare in China. He now moves into a brand-side role to lead marketing for Documents as it expands its presence in the fragrance market. Prior to We Red Bridge, Zhang held roles at Weber Shandwick and BlueFocus, giving him a background across both global and Chinese communications networks.
Bench Media has announced two senior promotions for leadership and operations. Both promotions take effect immediately.
- Nicole Jurke has been promoted to head of people & culture and will join the agency’s management team. Jurke has been with Bench Media for nearly nine years and has helped develop the agency’s people-first culture. In her new role, Jurke will oversee talent attraction, development and retention, as well as employee experience initiatives.
- Ting Zhang has also been promoted to financial controller. In this role, she will manage relationships with financial institutions, client finance teams and insurance partners, while continuing to oversee financial governance and commercial processes within the agency.
