Move and win roundup: Week of April 29, 2019

Glenn Osaki, APAC president and 32-year veteran of Publicis-Groupe agency MSL, has taken a position at the University of Southern California, where he earned a master's degree in public relations in 1987. (Read more)

Richard Bleasdale, who was managing partner with Observatory International until it shut down its Singapore operation late last year, has joined The Secret Little Agency as managing director. According to a LinkedIn update, Bleasdale joined the company in April. Prior to Observatory International he was APAC CEO of Iris. 

BBH Singapore made the following business-leadership appointments, all of whom will report to Megan Morrell, head of business leadership, and MD David Webster:

• Natalie Hellon as business director for key existing and new clients including Ikea. A veteran of BBH London, she has also worked at Iris Singapore and Naked Communications and Droga5 in Australia.
• Lynette Chua as account director for Singtel and UOB. She was most recently with R/GA, where she led the Nikon account globally, and also has experience at JWT.
• Alicia Tiong as account director for IKEA and other clients. She was previously at TBWA, where she has managed Singapore Tourism Board and ANZ. 
• Andy Norris as associate account director on Nike. He joins from TBWA Singapore, where he worked on the global team for Standard Chartered and also handled Grab. 

Smartphone maker Honor appointed Mullen Lintas as its creative agency in India following a pitch.

The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) appointed Publicis Sapient and its spatial design unit Second Story, in partnership with Melbourne-based BKK Architects, to redesign the museum. The partners will work on a free permanent exhibition across two new galleries that will blend physical and digital experiences including VR and AR.

Mobile advertising company Kargo appointed Perry Smith as sales manager in the Melbourne and Victoria markets. He was previously with Domain in Melbourne and Archant in London.

WPP AUNZ sports entertainment and sponsorship agency Prism appointed Shannan Quinn as managing director for Australia. He was most recently at QMS Media, focusing on its sports stadia asset and rights portfolio, and has also worked at 20FOUR, Mindshare (ESP) and Suntory. The company also appointed Brodie Watson as group services director. He joins from Thread Communications where was sponsorship and partnerships director, and has also held senior roles at Qantas Golf, Sydney Swans and Octagon. 

Programmtic company Pocketmath, promoted Joanne Joynson-Hewlett from chief financial officer  to chief executive, effective immediately. In addition, the company promoted Nuno Jonet from head of product to chief product officer. Andrew Alcock is Pocketmath’s chief technology officer. Before joining Pocketmath in 2014, Joynson-Hewlett was the CFO for Sequoia-backed voice blog start-up Bubbly. 

Personalisation platform Dynamic Yield appointed Mark van den Haak as vice president of sales for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. He was previously ASEAN sales director for Oracle Marketing Cloud.

CNN International Commercial (CNNIC) appointed Phil Nelson as chief operating officer to lead the media company's operational and international growth initiatives outside of advertising sales. He was previously managing director of Turner North Asia and South East Asia Pacific, where he oversaw distribution of CNN International and the creation of local partners CNN Indonesia and CNN Philippines. Based in Singapore, he will be part of the CNNIC senior management team, reporting directly into president Rani Raad.

Hakuhodo appointed Devi Attamimi as institute director of the Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living ASEAN (HILL ASEAN), a think tank that researches ASEAN consumers. Established in 2014, HILL ASEAN was incorporated in Thailand in March 2017. It supports the marketing activities of companies in the ASEAN region with insights and recommendations. Attamimi joined Hakuhodo Indonesia as a strategic planning director in 2011 and now serves as executive director of strategy for Hakuhodo Network Indonesia. The company said the appointment signifies it is placing greater importance on the perspectives of non-Japanese staff.

Performance Motors Limited (PML) and Performance Munich Autos (PMA), the authorised BMW Dealers in Singapore, appointed Lewis as social media agency of record following a pitch. Lewis will create, manage and optimise all aspects of social marketing for PML and PMA, including commerce, automation and social CRM.

Influence Matters, a B2B tech-focused PR agency, celebrated its fourth anniversary with the opening of a new office in Shanghai, complementing its team of 13 in Beijing. The office opening coincides with the agency winning new clients including Paxos Trust (blockchain), The Void (VR), Adjust (mobile marketing), Artefact (data consulting and digital marketing), Eco-Counter (smart city), Xcalibyte (software), and Jones Lang LaSalle (real estate). Fay Lee joins Influence Matters Shanghai as its first team member, and reports directly to both Simon Vericel, founder and managing director, and Daisy Huang, account director who oversees the Beijing office’s operation.

Tanya Wilson and Steve Lawler, who are part of the trio that runs for Kult, a studio, gallery and bar in Singapore, founded The Unusual Network, which aims to connect artists to brands to create content that has strong social, creative and PR value. Lawler is a professional artist, curator and creative director and Wilson a PR director with experience at The Works and Slice PR. The company has created its own branded properties, including Gif Fest and a kids edutainment brand called Eyeyah! It also boasts Netflix as a client, with ongoing regional content creation work in Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.

Hiip, a social influencer platform in Vietnam and Thailand, expanded into Indonesia by acquiring BP Network, billed as that country’s largest female influencer network. Hiip Asia is led by co-founder and CEO Phi Nguyen and BP Network is led by co-founder and CEO Shintaries Nijerinda.