Move and win roundup: Week of March 25, 2024

The PR Group has hired former TechCrunch senior reporter, Catherine Shu, as director of content and media. Based in Taiwan, Shu will oversee content services offered by The PR Group and play a key role in the agency's growth across Southeast Asia, including working closely with the VC and technology ecosystem. Shu was a senior reporter at TechCrunch for 12 years. 

Simone Takasaki has joined BMF in the newly created role of head of creative services and integrated production. Prior to joining BMF Takasaki spent three-and-a-half-years leading Google APAC’s production offering for its brand studio, and nine years at Wieden+Kennedy Portland and Tokyo as a production and operation lead at the creative agency. In her new role at BMF, Takasaki will work across the agency and its portfolio of clients to drive efficiency and effectiveness throughout the production process to help the business continue to deliver world class work. 

Ad tech platform Quantcast has hired Alara Yenisey as client success manager in ANZ, as well as Koh ChewHoi and Amanda Soh as client success manager and senior sales manager respectively, based in Singapore. Yenisey, who will be based in Melbourne, comes to Quantcast with a diverse background in digital media, advertising and client management. Prior to joining Quantcast, Yenisey held key account manager and digital planning roles at News Corp Australia, UM, OMD and SBS, working with national and global clients including Coles, Optus and McDonald’s. ChewHoi has worked in management positions at Singapore Press Holdings, Performics, iProspect and Zenith. Soh will be responsible for driving revenue growth and fostering strategic partnerships with key clients across the region. Prior to joining Quantcast, Soh was the Southeast Asia agency lead and client partner for Twitter (now X), where she was responsible for spearheading initiatives to increase the platform’s footprint in-market.  

Creative agency Cocogun has hired Christine Watts, former Wunderman and 303 MullenLowe, as business partner, spearheading new business alongside MD and co-founder Chiquita King. Kirsty Reynolds has joined Cocogun in a newly-created, hybrid role as business director and copywriter, working closely with both King and creative partner, Ant Melder. Strengthening the creative department further, is Cocogun’s new designer, Shev Tan.

A full-service marketing agency Boing! has onboarded Rakuten Group. As part of the partnership, Boing!’s team will develop and execute tailored marketing strategies for Rakuten Group across their digital channels. With a focus on driving brand awareness, engagement, and customer loyalty, Boing! will support Rakuten Group in achieving its marketing objectives.

Vietnam Airlines has announced T&A Ogilvy as its global communication partner for 2024 - 2025 for creative consulting and domestic and international advertising campaigns. 

SEC Newgate has announced the acquisition of the boutique Shanghai-based marketing and communications agency Mars Communications and appointed Victoria Guo as partner and head of Shanghai. Guo brings more than 13 years of experience in driving multi-market communications and marketing strategies for clients in the financial, professional services and technology sectors. Prior to founding Mars Communications, she held senior roles at Lewis Global Communications and FleishmanHillard in Shanghai and Hong Kong, respectively. Joining on 1 April 2024, Guoa will report to James Hill, managing partner, Greater China and work alongside Mainland China co-heads Renfeng Zhao in Beijing and Candise Tang in Hong Kong.

Digitas India has won the digital creative mandate of Deoleo India, a global olive oil provider. Digitas will have creative and social media responsibilities for Deoleo's marquee products, including Figaro Olive Oil, Bertolli Olive Oil and Figaro baby range. 

Creative agency BMF has appointed Eileen Cosgrove-Moloney as its joint general manager. Prior to joining BMF, Cosgrove-Moloney spent four years at Special as general manager and led the Uber and Uber Eats APAC account, based in Tokyo. With more than 12 years of experience, Cosgrove-Moloney has worked for Droga5, RKCR Y&R, Saatchi & Saatchi London, and Colenso BBDO. In her new role, Cosgrove-Moloney will work alongside co-general manager Richard Woods.

Golin has appointed Ian Willoughby as director of Golin Health, Singapore. Willoughby will work across Golin branded agencies and will be responsible for building the healthcare offering. With healthcare communications expertise over 25 years, he has worked within major pharmaceutical companies, communications and medical education businesses in Singapore, the UK and Australia, and was, most recently, as general manager at McCann Health in Singapore.

Mahlab, the Sydney-headquartered business communications agency, has opened its first Southeast Asia office in Singapore. Gus Wick, formerly from Omnicom Group, who worked for DDB for almost two decades, has been appointed to the newly created role of business director, ASEAN. Operating from Mahlab’s new Singapore office, Wick will play a leading role in business development across the region.

Havas Group ANZ has appointed Marco Villella as its head of talent. He has 12 years of experience, having worked for GroupM (WPP AUNZ) for more than four years as talent acquisition lead, and prior to that, he was at IPG Mediabrands and Hart Resources Group. 

Dow Jones has appointed Evelina Leung as its communications manager, APAC, who will be based in Hong Kong. Leung brings more than 14 years of experience in media and communications to her role having worked across broadcast news, news publishing, corporate communications, as well as content marketing and publicity. Before Dow Jones, she was the regional public relations manager at Toys“R” Us Asia. Prior to that, she served as the communications strategy manager at PR Newswire. 

Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific has announced four key appointments as part of its efforts to strengthen its senior leadership team to enable growth in the region:

• Pauly Grant has been promoted to chief talent officer, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific and will continue to be responsible for ANZ’s human resource portfolio. She will work closely with the market CTOs and the Asia Pacific Executive Committee and report to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. Grant joined Publicis Groupe ANZ 11 years ago and has progressed through several increasingly-senior roles.
• Martin Davie has been promoted from managing director, International, Publicis Media Singapore, to head of performance, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. In his new role, Davie will report to Ching Ian, CEO of PMX Asia Pacific, and Sapna Nemani, chief solutions officer, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. He joined Publicis Media Singapore in 2019 to lead Performics with 18 years of background in performance media in the UK, Australia, and Asia. In 2022, Martin was named one of Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40.
• Jonathan Mackenzie has been promoted from managing director of Publicis Media Precision Asia Pacific to head of data solutions for Publicis Groupe. Based in Singapore, Mackenzie will report to Sapna Nemani. With over 20 years of experience in digital advertising, he joined Publicis in 2016 and spearheaded the launch of Publicis Media Precision in 2017. 
• Joanna Ong has transitioned from her role as managing director of MSL Singapore to managing director, communications & PR, Publicis Groupe Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore and Shanghai, she is responsible for communications in the region across the group and reports to Jane Lin-Baden. With over 25 years of experience in reputation management, corporate and brand strategy, and communications, Ong joined MSL in 2021 to lead the agency’s transformation and growth in Singapore.

Ogilvy PR has elevated James Baldwin as head of Influence, Asia-Pacific. In this new role, Baldwin will be based in Singapore and lead the agency’s fast-growing Influence offering across the region. Baldwin will report to Rahul Titus, Ogilvy’s global head of Influence, and Emily Poon, president of Ogilvy PR in Asia Pacific. Baldwin, who was most recently the business director and B2B influence lead based out of Ogilvy UK, joined the agency in 2019. Prior to joining Ogilvy, he was client director at Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. He brings over 10 years of experience in B2B & influencer marketing.

Media and marketing agency, Murmur-Group has announced an exclusive partnership with global Marketing Mix Modelling solutions leader, Aryma Labs, combining Aryma Labs' advanced MMM solutions with Murmur’s expertise in data-driven marketing and media advisory services, effective immediately. The strategic alliance names Murmur as the sole channel partner for Aryma Labs in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania and includes exclusive access to Aryma’s flagship "ArymaEdge" product.

Uncanny, headquartered in Singapore, has signed a strategic partnership with Winston, a US-based AI production company, to expand its production capabilities due to increased integrated and automated production demands. The partnership expands Uncanny’s production capabilities by bringing onboard Winston’s pool of production specialists across the USA, Mexico and Argentina. The partnership also extends Uncanny’s digital creative and production capabilities into the US where they will be supporting Winston’s US clients to produce digital and interactive experiences.