Move and win roundup: Week of January 29, 2024

FCB SIX, has appointed Peter Gibson to the newly created role of general manager, data and technology. Gibson's appointment comes following new business wins, including Kiwibank in 2023, and will help expand the agency’s senior leadership team and depth of expertise in the data and marketing technology space. Gibson joins from Digitas, where he spent the past seven years heading up data, technology and operations as general manager, working with clients including Countdown, Toyota, McDonald's, Westpac and Southern Cross.

Crocs has appointed Cedric Wceke as APAC lead, PR & Communications. Prior to joining Crocs, Wceke managed public relations at a regional level for Circles.Life, Shopee, and Sennheiser, and previously worked agency side for Grey Group as a senior coordinator in PR and corporate communications. 

Jacqueline Choi has been promoted to chief officer of group marketing at Prudential Plc. Choi had previously spent the past five years as head of marketing for the insurance company, overseeing branding, advertising, performance marketing and customer engagement for the HK business.
Choi announced the move via LinkedIn and said she was filled with gratitude for the opportunity to embark on a new, exciting adventure beginning her new role. Prior to joining Prudential, she gained retail banking experience from the largest international banks in HK, including Standard Chartered, HSBC, and Citi. 

Prantik Mazumdar has left his position as the CXM Group managing director at Dentsu Singapore, marking the conclusion of a notable five-year chapter with the company. Mazumdar, who joined Dentsu in February 2019 following the acquisition of Happy Marketer by Merkle, announced his departure via a detailed LinkedIn post. In it, he thanked several members of his team and stated he's excited "to explore and pursue [my] other personal interests." He did not announce where he is heading next. As a key member of Dentsu Singapore's executive leadership team, Mazumdar played a pivotal role in driving growth for the network in the region through the CRM line of business. This encompassed various specialist practices including data, analytics, measurement, B2B marketing, account-based marketing, marketing automation, loyalty and attribution, visualisation, and other technology services. Also an avid investor and entrepreneur throughout his career, Mazumdar has worked with notable clients including INSEAD, Starbucks, Standard Chartered, Royal Brunei Airlines and Gojek, amongst others. He was also on Campaign Asia-Pacific's coveted 40 under 40 list in 2021.

Following Mazumdar's departure, Sanchit Mendiratta, managing director at Merkle Singapore will continue to lead in Singapore, alongside chief operating officer Awadesh Madhogaria.

RGA has retained Toyota Motor Corporation Australia’s digital marketing business, following a highly competitive pitch. RGA will continue to work closely with Toyota to continually elevate their digital marketing efforts across experience design, SEO, data and platform management, encompassing vehicle, product and service launches, campaigns and brand narratives. RGA’s partnership with Toyota in Australia dates back to 2016 and is defined by an ability to deliver solutions with impact through applications of data, experience design and holistic connected ecosystem strategy.

Paramount ANZ has chosen Brand Metrics measurement technology, to ensure that marketers using Paramount ANZ’s channels can now validate and amplify the impact of their connected TV (CTV) advertising into the broader marketing mix. Brand Metrics works with the likes of The New York Times, The Guardian, Bloomberg, Financial Times and News Corp, helping them to measure brand lift across their digital campaigns.

Sony Music Entertainment (SME) has appointed Kenny Ong as its new managing director for Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Special Projects Southeast Asia, effective immediately. In this key role, Ong will spearhead the company's expansion and strategic development across the rapidly growing entertainment landscape of the region and champion the careers of Southeast Asian artists. Ong brings a wealth of expertise to SME, having held previous leadership positions across media, music, and consumer goods. He was previously the chief executive officer of Astro Radio, Malaysia's leading radio network, and concurrently director of Astro Media Solutions. He also led the Southeast Asian expansion for Universal Music Group in his previous role.

Justine McKenny, currently brand director of Lego in Australia and New Zealand, is taking on a new role from March 1 as head of marketing at Lego ANZ. She will report to Troy Taylor, vice president and general manager for ANZ at the Lego Group. Angie Tutt, who was previously senior director and head of marketing, departed at the end of last year after working for the brand for over 14 years.

Krispy Kreme has appointed creative media agency, Slingshot, for media duties across Australia. The independent Sydney agency will manage media strategy, planning and buying for Krispy Kreme Australia, working across its biggest campaigns in the year ahead. Krispy Kreme Australia is the first country outside of North America to make the iconic Original Glazed Doughnuts and now operates at more than 38 locations nationally.

MBCS, an integrated creative agency, has promoted Toby Maclachlan to head of strategy & product, and Trent Peppercorn to the newly created role of head of Melbourne, effective immediately. Maclachlan steps into his new role after three years as head of creative strategy at Initiative Media. At MBCS he will lead the overall strategic output and team across both offices. His experience spans brand leadership and strategy roles across a range of categories, including FMCG, entertainment, fashion, auto, government and tourism. Previously head of creative services at MBCS, Peppercorn will relocate to Melbourne charged with leading the office through its next growth phase and expanding the team in line with client demand.

Quiip, Australia's leading specialist in social media and online community management, has appointed Larah Kennedy to the newly created role of general manager, and Will Barber as client services director. Following a three-year tenure as senior community manager at Quiip, Barber is promoted to take over the duties and responsibilities previously held by Kennedy. As general manager, Kennedy will oversee the overall operations and strategic direction of the company, working closely with the senior team to drive growth, innovation, and client satisfaction. Barber will focus on fostering client relationships as well as accelerating growth at Quiip.

FTI Consulting, Inc. has appointed Eli Serota as director in the cybersecurity & data privacy communications practice within the strategic communications segment in Singapore. Serota joins FTI Consulting’s Singapore office from the firm’s U.S. team. He will focus on partnering with teams regionally and globally to support the increased demand for cybersecurity and data privacy communications advisory services, providing high-level guidance to organisations with a specific emphasis around the communication elements of cybersecurity preparedness and incident response.

WE Communications (WE) has been named the agency of record for Elastic, a search analytics company in Australia and Singapore. The communications partnership, effective immediately, will deliver across a number of capabilities, including corporate reputation, brand purpose, media and influencer engagement, content development, digital marketing, and creative across Asia-Pacific.

Canteen, an Australian national support organisation for young people living with cancer, has appointed Janelle Cook as its new marketing and fundraising executive director. The organisation has also appointed WhiteGrey as its creative agency. Cook has worked on marketing campaigns across the private sector, government and not-for-profit organisations and has held senior marketing and communications leadership roles at The Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade, and Boston Consulting Group. 

Brand measurement company On Device Research is growing its Australia and New Zealand team, appointing Allan Breiland to the newly created research director role for ANZ. He will be tasked with expanding and tailoring On Device Research’s brand measurement solutions across the region. Breiland was most recently a senior director of media at Kantar Media. In his new role, Breiland will work closely alongside ANZ commercial director Mark Griffiths, focusing on further integrating the company’s solutions across the Australian market.

Global Beauty International has appointed JIN Communications Hong Kong as the official PR and marketing communications representative in Hong Kong for its brands BMF (Bella Marie France) and Svenson, a hair and scalp care product. Through this PR partnership, BMF, Svenson and Jin Communications aim to increase their brand awareness in Hong Kong, strengthen customer engagement, and position themselves as the go-to destinations for comprehensive beauty and wellness solutions. 

India-based adtech platform Xapads Media has entered the Chinese market and appointed industry veteran Huang Xu as the country head. Huang has more than 12 years of experience in the Chinese market and before joining Xapads, he held positions with Inmobi, Ironsource, and Appnext. As China's digital ad market continues to expand, Xu's remit will be to help Xapads explore new opportunities and plans to leverage their premium ad inventories and offer customised products and services tailored to meet the specific needs of agencies and brands. 

Absorbent apparel brand Modibodi has appointed Bread Agency to its global social media account. Under the new appointment, Bread's remit will cover social strategy, content creation and influencer marketing through always-on and campaign work. Working closely with the Modibodi marketing and social media teams, Bread will help to evolve the brand's social presence across Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, and Germany.

Kinesso, the performance marketing agency within IPG Mediabrands, has appointed Atlas Ye as head of Kinesso China. With an extensive background spanning media organisations in China and Ireland, Ye brings a wealth of knowledge and a proven track record in crafting strategies that elevate brand performance. His journey in performance marketing began as a search specialist during the inception of digital marketing, working with companies like GroupM, including Mindshare. He was most recently vice president for Product and Partnership at iProspect (Dentsu). Over the years, Ye has mastered various facets of the discipline, from SEM and SXO to addressable media and data analytics.

FleishmanHillard has appointed Ryo Kanayama to president of FleishmanHillard’s Japan Group of companies, including FleishmanHillard Japan and VOX Global Japan. He wiil start the new position on on April 1. Kanayama rejoins FleishmanHillard from his most recent role as a partner at Deloitte Japan (also known as Deloitte Tohmatsu Group) where he served in the clients & industries and brand marketing groups. His association with FleishmanHillard dates back to 1999 when he initially joined the agency. Notably, he played a pivotal role in conceptualising and championing a strategic communications model in Japan. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he not only led the Corporate Reputation and Issues Management practice, but also transitioned to the corporate sector. In the corporate realm, he also assumed leadership of the Corporate Affairs function at Walmart Japan and Seiyu.

Also continuing to support the agency will be managing directors Atsuko Kamegaya and Ryoji Tanabe, who will report to Kanayama and form the operations’ core leadership team. Shin Tanaka, founding president of FleishmanHillard Japan, will continue to act as a senior advisor to offer counsel and advice to clients.

Via Group, a boutique cross-border communications and marketing specialist, has brought on five new hires as it further expands across the Asia-Pacific. 

• Sophie Moore has joined as associate director of communications and client advisory. Now based in Sydney, she brings in-house financial services communication experience, having worked at Bank of America, UBS, and HSBC across London and Hong Kong.
• Graham Crouch joins as associate, news and content. Following a 30-year career as a photojournalist for several tier-one publications including The Australian, Bloomberg, Getty Images, The New York Times, and UNICEF, now based in Jakarta, Graham is one of Via’s Asia experts having lived and worked across South Asia over the last decade.
• Rachel Mui, a seasoned writer, joins with more than a decade of experience spanning journalism, corporate communications, and content strategy. Most recently, she was a communications specialist at UBS AG. 
• Nicola Forsyth, a communications and PR professional, joins with more than 16 years of experience creating corporate and consumer campaigns, working both in-house (HSBC, TSB Bank and Metro Bank) and in agencies (inc. Edelman and Teneo).
• Bryn Morgan joins Via as creative lead, responsible for bringing to life creative, brand, and digital media efforts for Via’s clients. She brings experience across multiple design disciplines, working for organisations such as FIFA, National Rugby League, World Rugby, NSW Government and Bank West.