| Campaign compiles a new 'Move and win roundup' as each week
progresses. This edition will cover March 9 through March 13, 2026. Catch up on past people moves and business wins. |
Former DDB Worldwide Global Chairman Marty O’Halloran has joined Thrive PR and Communications in Australia and New Zealand as the agency’s first-ever strategic advisor, supporting its next phase of growth. With nearly 40 years of leadership experience in global marketing, O’Halloran will mentor Thrive’s leadership team, enhance creative standards, and guide its multi-market expansion.
Nora-Kate O'Connell has been appointed chief marketing officer of Pizza Hut Australia, joining Flynn Group ANZ after over 11 years at KFC. Most recently CMO for KFC North Asia in Singapore, she previously held senior roles in retail marketing, digital, e-commerce, and sponsorships for KFC South Pacific, growing digital sales from 2% to 15% and launching the brand's first global ordering app. Flynn Group, which acquired Pizza Hut's Australian master franchise in 2023 and operates nearly 300 restaurants with plans for 100 more, welcomes her to drive the brand's ambitious growth.
In the latest post-Omnicom shake-up following its IPG acquisition, Magna's innovation and product lead in Australia, Ros Allison has departed as the most recent senior IPG executive to exit, amid reports of broader restructurings, retiring IPG Mediabrands branding and eliminating roles. In her LinkedIn post, she reflected on her time at IPG Mediabrands and MAGNA Global as a "genuine privilege," expressed pride in the results, change, and capabilities built for Omnicom's future, and thanked her team, agencies, and partners.
Back in December, after Omnicom's acquisition of IPG was complete, IPG Mediabrands CEO Mark Coad and APAC CEO Leigh Terry were let go. In February 2026, UM CEO Anathea Ruys also exited as Omnicom appointed EssenceMediacom managing director and former PHD executive Stephanie Douglas-Neal as her replacement.
Last month, Omnicom announced it would make further job cuts as it has doubled its target for annual cost synergies to US$1.5 billion, including $1 billion from reducing staffing costs, following last year’s Interpublic acquisition. By 2028, Omnicom has to save $1 billion a year on what it calls “labour costs” which are expected to involve a mix of job reductions, relocating more roles to lower-cost locations by “off-shoring” and “near-shoring”, and outsourcing some other jobs to third parties.
The PR Group (PRG) has expanded its Asia-Pacific communications mandate with Australian AI healthcare company Heidi. From its Singapore hub, PRG will now handle strategic comms, executive profiling, earned media, reputation management, and narrative positioning across Southeast Asia, North Asia, Australia, and New Zealand amid rising regulatory scrutiny on AI in healthcare.
McCann Singapore has appointed Rajiv Jayaraj as general manager and lead of McCann Content Studios to bolster its social-first, always-on model for regional brands. With 18 years in creative, media and production, Jayaraj brings expertise from building social ecosystems for Lego, Spotify and MSD, plus high-profile partnerships like Asia’s Got Talent and ONE Championship. A key focus will be scaling Content Studios as a growth engine while positioning Singapore as a hub for multi-market brand activity.
Monks has appointed Bharti Agrawal as CFO, APAC, Marketing Services. Reporting to global CFO Jordi Covas, she will oversee financial strategy, operations and governance across the region to drive growth and transformation in Monks’ integrated marketing and technology services.
Productivity Bargain has appointed Ed Steiner, a former Kantar executive, as a consultant, reuniting him with founder Anne Rayner to help organisations redesign work for sustainable performance without burnout. Steiner brings 20+ years in insights-driven strategy, branding and transformation across government, finance, tourism and professional services, while continuing as business director at Human8 Australia.
Special Auckland has promoted Jolene D'Souza to joint head of strategy, New Zealand, bolstering its national strategy leadership team. Previously group strategy director at Special (since 2023) and with stints at WiTH Collective, Dentsu and Carat, D'Souza's elevation highlights the agency's push to strengthen strategic capabilities.
Media Outreach has appointed Kitty Lee as managing partner for Greater China. A veteran PR leader based in Hong Kong with deep roots at FleishmanHillard (including as deputy GM and consumer practice head for clients like Hyatt, Air New Zealand and Venetian Macao), Lee will drive the company's expansion across the region.
Oatside has appointed W Communications as its PR agency to support its Singapore expansion into the soymilk category with the new "NOBO Soy" brand launch. Appointed late 2025, the agency is handling earned media strategy, including media/KOL events with Senang Supper Club and a seeding programme. The move aligns with Oatside's regional growth, including a recent media agency partnership with Trapper in Malaysia.
Ete Davies has joined LePub as global chief operating officer, overseeing business operations, client delivery, and product management across the agency's international network. The appointment follows LePub's appointment of Sven Huberts as global president last month. Davies brings over 25 years of agency experience. He joins from Dentsu Creative, where he served as COO for EMEA before moving into an EVP role. Before that, he was CEO of Engine Creative, managing director at AnalogFolk, and held senior delivery roles at AKQA earlier in his career.
Mandai Wildlife Group has appointed Agatha Yap as chief marketing officer. She joins from Scoot, where she served as director of marketing, communications, and loyalty, overseeing brand strategy, paid media and advertising revenue, and brand partnerships. Her appointment follows Jean Choi's transition from chief sales and marketing officer, a role she held for over three years, to chief sales officer, where she retains responsibility for Mandai's commercial strategy and global partnerships. Before Scoot, Yap was senior director of marketing, menu and digital innovations at McDonald's Singapore from 2017 to 2020, and director of sales, marketing, events and programming at Sentosa Development Corporation from 2014 to 2017. She also led marketing at Watsons Singapore and started her career on the agency side at Euro RSCG, BBDO, and Bates.
Imagination has elevated Sydney Fisher to global head of marketing and PR. She will report to chairman and CEO Patrick Reid. She was most recently global PR and marketing manager at the agency. In her expanded role, she will lead global marketing, brand positioning, and communications, and drive thought leadership and media initiatives across regional teams.
Analytic Partners, a firm specialising in marketing measurement, has appointed Andy Ford as associate vice president in Australia in a newly created role. He joins from Coles 360, where he was head of data intelligence and measurement. Before that, he helped build the rollout and expansion of Meta's marketing science unit across Australia and APAC. He brings over two decades of experience across marketing science, data intelligence, and commercial strategy. In the new role, he will lead client service and account management in Australia, with a focus on helping brands measure performance across an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
Carat Perth has elevated Sophie Park and Geoff Langton to client director, both within its client services team. Langton will continue leading accounts, including Cash Converters, Lotterywest, and Summit Homes. Park, alongside her client responsibilities, has been involved in the agency's broader industry initiatives through her leadership of the revenue squad within the Oasis Committee.
Australian consultancy Productivity Bargain has appointed Ed Steiner as a consultant. He brings over two decades of experience across insights-driven strategy, branding, and transformation, with expertise spanning government, financial services, tourism, and professional services. He will retain his position as business director at Human8 Australia alongside the new role.
BBDO Hong Kong has appointed Oliver Davis as group creative director and Huey Wong as creative director, head of art, to bolster its creative firepower under managing director Maggie Cheung and reporting to chief creative officer John Koay. Davis brings award-winning experience with global brands like KFC, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola, focusing on regional clients, while Wong offers seven years in Hong Kong on HSBC, Cathay Pacific, and others, excelling in art direction.
Havas Moonfolks in Jakarta has appointed Erwin Airlangga as chief strategy and growth officer to drive strategic leadership and business expansion, leveraging his 26 years of experience from Dentsu Creative and Dwi Sapta. The move bolsters a revamped leadership team, including promotions for Yuni Isdiyatiningsih (head of trading), Sanchar Roy (head of commerce and digital planning), Deriz Syarief (head of operations), and Airin Aprila (client services director), under general manager Stefanus Christopher. This supports accelerated growth post-2025 rebranding, with new clients like GSK, Emirates, and Samsonite, aligning with Havas' regional strategy in Indonesia.
Source: Campaign Asia-Pacific
