Move and win roundup: Week of March 2, 2026

Ogilvy Thailand has appointed Pete Thasorn Boonyanate as chief creative officer, effective March 1. He succeeds Gumpon Laksanajinda, who steps down from the day-to-day role after 25 years with the agency. Boonyanate joins from BBDO Bangkok, where he served as CCO from 2022 to 2026. He led campaigns for clients including Samsung Electronics, Chang Football and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. With some 18 years of experience in branding, creative strategy and performance marketing, he previously spent four years at Wunderman Thompson Thailand as creative director and head of content and digital, then as executive creative director until 2022.

Teneo has appointed Takashi Hirono as senior managing director in Tokyo. He joins from Edelman Smithfield, where he spent five years as executive vice president and head of Japan. He brings over two decades of experience advising senior leaders across M&A, special situations, activism defence, investor relations and crisis management. 

Agatha Yap has stepped down from her role as director of marketing, communications and loyalty at Scoot. During her five-year tenure, she led partnerships, enhanced brand presence and optimised paid media performance and strategy. Before Scoot, she held senior marketing roles at McDonald's Singapore from 2017 to 2020. 

Rachel Gatehouse has departed the Sydney-based influencer marketing agency Vamp. She first joined in 2024 as a consultant from property technology start-up Archistar AI, before being appointed CEO. As chief executive, she led a network of over 40,000 influencers and creators across campaign management tools for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. She announced the exit on LinkedIn.

Publicis Groupe Asia-Pacific has appointed Naomi Michael as chief communications officer for APAC, leading the Groupe’s regional communications strategy across markets and capabilities. She joins from Omnicom Media where she recently joined its APAC leadership team as head of brand marketing from her former role as chief marketing and communications officer at IPG Mediabrands, which she held for nine years. Based in Singapore, Michael will report to Jane Lin‑Baden, chief executive officer, Asia-Pacific at Publicis Groupe. Michael brings more than 20 years of international marketing and communications experience across corporate and media organisations in Asia-Pacific, Australia and UK. Her early career includes roles at Zenith in London, The Walt Disney Company, The Financial Times, and agency leadership positions across Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore within Interpublic Group (IPG), and Omnicom Media. Michael was named one of Campaign Asia’s Women to Watch and is a founding executive council member of Pass Her The Mic – an Asia-led initiative to amplify women’s voices across world stages – and a Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity International. She also serves on the Myanmar Chapter Board for Pencils for Kids, supporting access to education for children in developing communities. Her role is effective as of March 9, 2026. 

WPIC Marketing + Technologies has elevated Alex Palmer to global chief operating officer. Palmer joined WPIC in 2020 and most recently served as executive vice president of engagements, where he built and led the primary customer relationship team with a focus on strategy, agile execution and client service. In his expanded role, Palmer will oversee global operations across WPIC's markets in China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, with added responsibility for organisational effectiveness and the systems enabling teams to perform at scale. He will also continue leading global governance, client engagements and portfolio oversight.

Sling & Stone has appointed Nichole Provatas as managing director, Australia, overseeing strategic guidance for clients and expanding services across AI visibility, strategic insights, social, creative and content. She joins from We. Communications, where she led the international integrated marketing team, launched AI Search services and created the Future of Communications thought leadership programme. She has driven campaigns for Adobe, Telstra and PayPal, with experience spanning brand, integrated marketing and communications strategy. In addition, Sian Church stepping down as head of NZ after seven years. Dearra Naidoo has been promoted to director to lead the next phase of growth.

Minjoo Lee has departed Deliveroo after five years. She was most recently director of marketing. Her exit is tied to Deliveroo's decision to wind down Singapore operations, which ceased in March as part of a broader DoorDash-led withdrawal from four markets: Singapore, Japan, Qatar and Uzbekistan. Prior to Deliveroo, she served as senior manager of global portfolio marketing at Shangri-La Group's headquarters. Deliveroo's Singapore shutdown, which ended its 11-year presence in the market, affected the entire local team. She announced the exit on LinkedIn.

Redhill has partnered with BHM Holdings, a leading integrated communications group based in Nairobi, Kenya, to establish a communications corridor linking Asia and Africa. The tie-up combines over 300 communications professionals across more than 20 markets spanning Asia-Pacific, Africa, the UK and the US. The partnership targets growing trade and investment flows between the two regions, enabling access to joint market intelligence, media relations and stakeholder engagement capabilities. Both agencies will serve clients as a unified communications partner with on-the-ground presence in both regions.

Bastion has been appointed as creative and media agency of record for Geely Auto Australia following a competitive pitch. The agency will deliver fully integrated creative and media services, spanning strategy, creativity, media and communications, to support the brand's launch and expansion in the Australian market.

Havas Malaysia has announced senior promotions and hires to bolster its capabilities across Creative, CX, and Health. Key changes include Bowie Tiong's promotion to general manager overseeing business, clients, and operations. Ie-Tsen Cheng joining as business director for telco, food, auto, and FMCG growth. Keith Ho as senior planning director partnering with Ananda Swinburne on insight-led strategy, and Allen Liew elevated to creative technologist at Havas CX for tech-innovation fusion. 

Restaurant Brands Ltd NZ, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, Carl's Jr. and Taco Bell in New Zealand, has appointed Jamie Keen as marketing intelligence & innovation director. Prior to this promotion, Keen was the marketing manager for Pizza Hut at the company. He brings more than a decade of experience having worked across London, California and New Zealand for Pizza Hut, Collider and Funkin Ltd.

Shake Shack has promoted Alaric Sng to director of global marketing to oversee efforts in Mainland China, Southeast Asia, and select APAC markets. Sng will report to Matthew Silverstein, MD for APAC & Middle East and continue to be based in Hong Kong. Sng has been with the brand for over four years having joined in 2022 after stints at Shangri-La Hong Kong, Digitas, and Jack Morton in Shanghai. He announced the change via LinkedIn. 

TBWA Hong Kong has appointed Mike Choy (elevated to creative partner) and William Chow as joint creative leaders, supporting general manager Ida Mak in steering the department and developing disruptive ideas. They report to John Koay, Omnicom Advertising Hong Kong's chief creative officer. Chow brings strategic storytelling expertise for brands like Standard Chartered and adidas, while Choy leads Design by Disruption (DXD) with human-centred experiences for clients including Starbucks and Lexus. 

Omnicom Media Group China has appointed Joey Zhao, CEO of PHD China, as its new chief operating officer, effective immediately, while he retains his PHD leadership role. With over 15 years of cross-industry experience, Zhao will drive operational excellence, scalable growth, and a future-focused model across OM China, building on recent wins like Volkswagen Group China and Bosch. Claudine Kwek is stepping down as CEO of OM China. 

Sandpiper has promoted Elizabeth (Liz) Egginton to general manager, ANZ, where she will lead teams across Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Auckland and drive further growth of the consultancy’s Australia and New Zealand business.

Dentsu Creative Australia has promoted Graham Alvarez-Jarrett to chief strategy officer and Madeleine Page to general manager of earned and social under its DC26 agenda, which focuses on elevating creative quality, earned-led thinking, and strategic clarity. The moves follow a broader leadership reshuffle across Dentsu’s creative ranks, aligning with David Halter’s vision to challenge the status quo and integrate creativity with media, data, and technology for greater client impact. 

Chow Tai Fook Jewellery has appointed veteran luxury creative leader David Tse as its first global creative director, marking a major milestone in its brand transformation and global expansion strategy. Tse, formerly a creative director at Hermès in Shanghai, will shape the jeweller’s global creative identity and storytelling as it nears its centenary. 

Retail media technology firm Zitcha has appointed Phil Bonanno, a former Meta retail media leader, as its APAC commercial director to drive regional growth. Based in Melbourne, Bonanno brings over a decade of experience at Meta and a career spanning retail operations, analytics, and media strategy. He will lead Zitcha’s commercial strategy and support brands and retailers in achieving more data-driven retail media outcomes. His arrival follows the recent appointment of Steve Biddle as chief commercial officer, marking continued expansion of Zitcha’s leadership team. 

Scenic Group has expanded its partnership with Thump Media, appointing the agency to manage its full portfolio of paid media channels across Australia and New Zealand. Building on a five-year collaboration, Thump will now handle both brand and performance media for Scenic and Emerald Cruises & Tours, integrating above-the-line and digital performance strategies to drive measurable results. The move follows a competitive RFP process and marks a deepening of the agencies’ long-term partnership amid strong growth for Scenic Group’s luxury cruise and land journey offerings. 

Customer experience technology provider Content Guru has appointed Masakatsu Yoneda as Japan country manager to lead its next phase of AI-driven growth. Based in Tokyo, Yoneda brings extensive experience from Japan’s tech and communications sectors, having led go-to-market teams for major international brands. Content Guru, established in Japan for nearly a decade, serves leading enterprises including Rakuten and the Asian Development Bank. 

Chinese Wok, India’s largest Desi Chinese QSR brand, has appointed Havas Creative India and Arena Media as its integrated creative, social, and digital media partners to support its rapid national expansion. As the brand scales toward 500 outlets, the partnership will drive a unified, platform-led marketing approach focused on youth engagement, cultural relevance, and data-driven creativity. Havas will lead creative strategy, social content, media planning, and performance marketing to strengthen Chinese Wok’s cultural footprint and build cohesive, scalable brand equity across online and offline touchpoints. 

Source: Campaign Asia-Pacific