Move and win roundup: Week of November 27, 2023

When asked about the departures of Mireskandari and Kingi, Ogilvy released a statement that said: “We consistently evaluate our operation to ensure alignment with both business objectives and client requirements, encompassing workforce optimisation as an integral part of our ongoing efforts.” 

Mireskandari spent more than five years at Ogilvy, where he lead a team of delivery specialists across APAC in areas like creative technology, experience design and martech. Kingi joined Ogilvy in 2020 as head of operations, before taking on a similar role at The&Partnership, the agency that sits within Ogilvy. Wilson spent 15 years at BBDO before returning to Ogilvy for this third stint in 2022. 

Publicis Groupe has appointed Rajdeepak Das as chief creative officer of Publicis Groupe South Asia and chairman Leo Burnett for South Asia. In these newly created roles, Das will also focus on elevating the Groupe’s creative agenda through the alchemy of technology and data for transformation of client businesses. He will work closely with the creative, data and technology talent across the Groupe to champion these mandates. 

Media agency Z2C Limited has promoted Babar Khan Javed to the chief communications officer role, effective December 1. Reporting to Z2C Limited chairman Raihan Ali Merchant, Khan Javed will oversee all corporate communications, including internal, external, executive, and financial communications. He will also lead efforts to develop and tell the story of portfolio companies under Z2C Limited, as the venture accelerator continues launching companies that disrupt the media supply chain. 
 
Content distribution and solutions company Lightning International has hired Eric Tan as director of content sales Asia, David Newton as director of business strategy and Desmond Chung as head of marketing and communications. Based in Singapore, Tan will be responsible for all aspects of channel and content distribution. Newton will manage Lightning’s business direction and growth strategy. David was formerly finance director with Haymarket Media Asia, the owners of Campaign. Chung is tasked with amplifying the voice of the company and increasing brand awareness.  

Lagardère Group has appointed Heart Media Group as the new licensing partner for Elle Singapore from January 1, 2024 onwards. This move aims at further strengthening the position of Ele as one of the largest international women’s fashion, luxury and lifestyle media brands in Singapore. 

LG Electronics has created a new overseas sales and marketing company, led by Thomas Yoon, who will report directly to LG CEO William Cho. The new company will oversee the sales and marketing operations in various regions, such as Asia, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America. It will also manage the global marketing group and the direct-to-consumer sales business group. The change is effective from December 1. 

PR and social media agency Mad Hat Asia has a slew of new clients and renewals for 2024: 

• The agency will work with Singapore’s ticketing platform SISTIC
• Community event Heartlands Festival that encourages locals and tourists to explore lesser-known locations and businesses in the heartlands
• Feminine hygiene brand SOFY
• It will also continue its partnerships with Spa Esprit Group, Cadbury, and Biji-biji Initiative. 

 

RGA Australia has bolstered its creative team with several appointment moves:

RGA’s creative expansion aligns with Seamus Higgins rejoining as chief creative officer for Australia in June of this year. Higgins closely partners with Ben Miles, VP, executive creative director, brand design, APAC, to co-lead the studio’s creative offering across integrating brand, experience, and communications teams.

WWF Singapore has promoted marketer and former CMO Vivek Kumar to lead the organisation as CEO from January 2024. Kumar, a former assistant director-general at the National Trades Union Congress and a board member of several public sector entities, succeeds R. Raghunathan, who has served the organisation for more than three and a half years. Kumar has over two decades of diverse leadership experience in multinational corporations, public sector and agencies, including WPP, Starcom and IPG. He has also worked with Shell in the past. As the new CEO of WWF Singapore, Kumar will build on the foundation laid by Raghunathan and continue to advance the organisation’s mission of conserving nature and reducing the most pressing threats to the environment.

 

BBH India, part of Publicis Groupe India, has announced the appointment of Ashwin Palkar as the executive creative director and head of experience. Palkar's mandate involves working across brands handled by both offices of the agency and reporting directly to Parikshit Bhattacharya, chief creative officer of BBH India. With 17 years of experience in advertising, Palkar was previously on the brand side working at Singapore-based FMCG company Believe Pte Ltd, where he led the creative and digital teams for a portfolio of brands including Zayn, Myza, and The Lafz.

 

Nielsen has appointed Nitin Walia as new business director for India. Walia arrives at Nielsen during a time of transformation, as the business increases its focus on digital strategy, service expansion, multiple new product launches, and a reprioritising of operations to better service its clients—most notably India’s leading broadcasters, advertisers and agencies.