Move and win roundup: Week of October 2, 2023

Brenda Kou has announced she will be taking on the role of regional CMO for McDonald's for the Asia Business Unit servicing 12 markets, via a LinkedIn post. Kou has been with the fast food chain in Taiwan for 10 years, returning to her role as a senior director and head of marketing with the brand in 2014 after an initial one year stint from 2012 to 2013. In between, Kou was the director for E-Commerce Central Marketing for Yahoo in Taiwan. Before McDonald's, Kou worked with the Watsons group in Taiwan as director for marketing and communications, as well as in a number of marketing, PR and legal capacities.

Monde Nissin, maker of the most-chosen brand of the decade, Lucky Me!, has appointed Initiative as its integrated media agency of record. Following the win Initiative/IPG Mediabrands is launching Crave, a specialist team committed exclusively to servicing Monde Nissin. The remit will encompass all media and buying duties for the portfolio of brands across Monde Nissin and Monde M.Y. San. Powered by Initiative and bolstered by the invaluable expertise from the extensive IPG Mediabrands network, Crave will work on elevating the partnership to new heights.

 

Australian independent full service agency, Apparent, has made the following appointments:

Cleaver’s Organic, one of Australia's leading organic meat businesses, has appointed Hearts & Science as its media agency. Hearts will further launch the Cleaver’s Organic brand into the Australian market with its new positioning, ‘Meat you’ll feel good about’. The agency will undertake all media strategy, planning and buying across ATL and digital channels.

AIA Philippines has appointed Melissa Henson as chief marketing officer (CMO), effective immediately. Henson was previously the senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Manulife Philippines, being with the company for over eight years. Prior to Manulife, Henson spent over a decade working across multiple industries including banking, insurance and communications in roles such as first vice president and marketing head at Philippine Bank of Communications (PBCOM) and vice president and head of eBusiness at Citibank across the Philippines and New York. 

Ronald Wong has left yuu (DFI Retail Group) and has joined Tam Jai International Company Limited as group chief marketing officer. Wong was previously vice president for brand and marketing and yuu's marketing director. Prior to his time with the DFI Retail Group, Wong spent over four years with AIA Asia-Pacific as associate director in their group brand and marketing division. He's also held roles in the senior marketing capacity at ICLP and Shell in Hong Kong and Dragonair in China.

In his new role at Tam Jai International, Wong will focus on refining the group’s marketing approach to take the brand to the next level (with particular emphasis on overseas customers), as well as creating a digital customer experience strategy that will be unique to Tam Jai. Wong was also featured on Campaign's annual Power List in both 2022 and 2023.

FCB Shout has made a number strategic promotions and key appointments to its creative, brand management and operations departments effective September 2023:

Maybank Singapore has appointed Arena Media Singapore as their media agency of record following a competitive pitch process, effective immediately. Previously with Vaynermedia, Maybank Singapore will now partner with Arena Media Singapore to spearhead integrated and digital media planning and buying strategies, aimed at enhancing their brand presence and facilitating consumer engagement. 

 

Electriclime have promoted Shaye Guillory to production manager in their Australia office. Guillory has risen through the ranks of the filmmaking industry, starting with her employment at Bond University and her subsequent role as scripted development and production assistant with Screenwest. Her expertise expanded when she was selected by Screen Australia as a recipient of the highly competitive six-month paid placement program at Los Angeles production company Rideback. Beyond her initial six month placement, Guillory went on to be promoted to the executive film assistant for the feature film team. Subsequently Guillory joined MPC where she advanced to an associate production manager role, before joining the Electriclime team in March this year. She has played a vital role in productions at the company, notably contributing to projects such as Liverpool FC x Standard Chartered film in the lead up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the Australian Audi launch of the Progress You Can Feel campaign.

 

BurdaLuxury has announced a series of leadership changes in Kuala Lumpur. Tengku Zainab Ajlaa takes on the role of Editor at Prestige Malaysia following the departure of Naseem Randhawa, after her tenure of over two years with the publishing house. In addition to Ajlaa, Sharmita Summugam joined BurdaLuxury in September as the regional head of Social Media, overseeing social and digital teams across Asia including India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Finally, Natasha Kraal has been appointed publisher, after having joined BurdaLuxury in April as associate publisher. 

Gary Lim has left the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) as director for Asia-Pacific after less than a year in the role. The former APAC marketing communications director at Johnson & Johnson replaced Ranji David when he joined in November 2022. Lim had a long association with WFA; from 2010 to 2016 he was the APAC chairperson of WFA's Integrated Marketing Communications Forum. He was based in Singapore and focused on bringing APAC marketers together in line with the WFA’s peer-to-peer approach and grow the network in the region. He was also tasked with working closely with WFA’s Asia-Pacific leadership team of senior marketers. Lim's replacement has not yet been confirmed. 

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed Saugata Gupta as managing director and chief executive officer of Marico Limited, as the new chairman of the ASCI Board of Governors. Gupta who will be replacing outgoing chairman NS Rajan, is well recognised as an accomplished industry leader. His association with ASCI spans several years, with two years on the Board of Governors and four years as a special invitee on the Board of Governors. In his role as chairman, Gupta hopes to "reimagine what responsible advertising means and how consumers need protection in the digital age."

 

Creator platform Viddsee has announced that co-founder and chief business developement officer, Derek Tan, has stepped down from his operational role. He will transition to a non-executive director role on the board. Founding the brand in 2013 with co-founder Ho Jia Jian, Tan has played a substantial role in expanding Viddsee's commercial offering, user base and strengthening its position in the industry, amassing over 3 billion views across 5,000+ films. Tan will continue guiding Viddsee's future with his strategic guidance as a non-executive director, with CEO, Ho Jia Jian, senior vice president of commercial, Michele Schofield, and vice president of Studios, Kenny Tan continuing to lead the business.