UM China CEO Simon Woodward resigns; new MD appointed

Woodward said he leaves the agency under good terms and that his resignatiion was motivated by a desire to "pursue other interests."

Woodward joined UM in January 2010 from GroupM Asia-Pacific where he headed trading, looking after Mindshare's regional trading task force, as well as wider trading responsibilities at GroupM. Before that, Wodward spent four years as managing partner at Mindshare China.

UM said that it thanked Simon for his leadership and wished him well in his future endeavors.

UM has also announced that Cary Huang will join the agency as managing director for China. Earlier this week, Group M confirmed to Campaign that Huang would resign his position as MD of MediaCom Shanghai at the end of the month.

Based in Shanghai, Huang will be charged with providing strategic direction for UM in China across Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and will manage the agency's day-to-day operations. He will report directly to Jim Hytner, president G14, UM

On his new role, Huang commented, “I look forward to guiding UM’s evolution in China, and contributing to the success of the company and its clients.  I will work tirelessly to ensure that UM remains an industry leader.”