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Tag: APAC

  • iris elevates Luke Nathans as APAC CEO

    iris elevates Luke Nathans as APAC CEO

    MUMBAI: iris, a marketing and advertising agency, has promoted Luke Nathans as its regional CEO for Asia Pacific (APAC). He was earlier regional development director for the region.

    He will continue to focus on expanding the agency‘s operations in APAC, Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

    As CEO-APAC, Nathans will report into the iris joint global CEOs Ian Millner and Stewart Shanley.

    Continuing to be based out of Singapore, Nathans will be responsible for the agency‘s client base in the region which includes Diageo, adidas, Tiger, Coca-cola, Shell, Philips and Heineken. He will continue to chair the Asia Pacific board of iris, which comprises the leaders of iris‘ offices in Asia as well as its leaders in creative, planning, consulting and digital.

    Nathans will play a key role in iris‘ forthcoming entry into MENA as the agency eyes a number of locations in the region. iris recently entered Indonesia, launching a licensing deal with Indonesian agency Nava+. iris‘ current headcount in Asia stands at 400 spanning its APAC offices in Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne, Singapore, Shanghai, Jakarta and Delhi.

    Millner said, “Luke has been at iris for four years now and has been a key part of driving the development of the agency proposition, the agency product, and key client relationships in Indonesia, India, China, Singapore and Australia. As the network grows, it will become more important to release more autonomy internationally to enable iris to continue empowering talented and entrepreneurial people in the diverse and exciting markets we now operate in. Luke has given iris a real edge across Asia, as we start to become a real threat to the global networks.”

    Nathans said, “We‘re increasing our footprint significantly in a few key markets before the end of the year, so I‘m looking forward to the exciting times ahead.”

    Nathans was promoted as regional development director for Asia Pacific in August 2011, following his appointment at iris as managing director of its Asia Pacific experiential arm. Prior to joining Iris, he has worked with agencies like Ogilvy & Mather, OgilvyOne, Belgiovane Williams Mackay, G2, The One Centre and TBWA Tequila UK.

  • VML Qais ups Preethi Sanjeevi to client solutions director

    MUMBAI: VML Qais has promoted Preethi Sanjeevi to regional client solutions director. The role has been newly created for her to lead the business team across the APAC region and facilitate the agency’s expansion there.

    Sanjeevi held the post of business director prior to this announcement.

    She will be responsible for both client growth and acquisition across Asian markets. While Sanjeevi will be based out of Singapore, she will be spending a considerable part of her time in India as well to develop the business here.

    Sanjeevi has spent the last decade working in the marketing communications industry with experience in both traditional advertising and online marketing across India and SEA markets. She has also worked in the field of entertainment marketing.

    Sanjeevi has been with VML Qais for the past six years, during which she has led end-to-end digital consulting for clients including Changi Airport, Banyan Tree Resorts, Ministry of Defence, Dell, Revlon and Estee Lauder.

    VML Qais CEO Tripti Lochan said, “Preethi has done a phenomenal job this past year – energizing, leading, and inspiring the people around her. This promotion is very well-deserved and we wish her continued success in her new role.”

    Sanjeevi said, “I’m very much relishing the challenge of my new role at such exciting times for VML Qais, and the digital environment as a whole. It’s such an invigorating and energetic environment, demonstrated by how much we’ve grown already this year, both client-wise and geographically, I look forward to being an integral part of the next phase of growth.”

    VML Qais, WPP’s wholly-owned pure play digital network, is headquartered in Singapore and recently launched its India operation. The agency is the Asian arm of brand consulting agency VML and was formed after it acquired Qais Consulting in February 2012.

    VML Qais has a six-member team in Mumbai and is expected to set up operations in Delhi by the end of the year.

  • Havas Media APAC hires Naman Sharma as head- research & analytics

    MUMBAI: Havas Media Asia Pacific has appointed Naman Sharma as the head of research and analytics for Asia Pacific.

    Based out of Singapore, Sharma will lead research and analytics discipline at Havas Media and manage the deployment of the group‘s proprietary tools across APAC. He will also be responsible for the roll out of Econometric Modelling function.

    Sharma will report into Havas Media chief strategy officer SK Biswas.

    His last stint was with OMD West Africa where he was heading research and strategy.

    Biswas said, “Research and analytics as a discipline is the cornerstone of an effective marketing strategy and we have been putting a lot of emphasis on the discipline to ensure the most efficient use of marketing dollars for our clients. We are fortunate to have found someone of Naman‘s calibre to join the team. He has extensive experience in primary market research with a specialisation in large syndicated media researches. I have no doubt that he will prove to be a major asset not only for us but for our existing and prospective clients as well.”

    Sharma added, “I am very excited by the opportunity to work with Havas Media. One of my key responsibilities is to lead seamless integration of group‘s proprietary tool DSS Suite across all markets in Asia. This is probably the most evolved, contemporary and comprehensive decision support system present in the world today and I am confident that they will help us deliver superior marketing RoI to our clients.”

    Sharma joins the agency with more than 12 years of experience in the communications industry, having worked in leadership roles with media agencies OMD and Carat. Prior to joining OMD, he had also worked with AC Nielsen and Media Research Users Council.

  • Omnicom Media Group APAC launches mobile unit Airwave

    MUMBAI: Omnicom Media Group – Asia Pacific has launched a new mobile unit, Airwave.

    Airwave is a specialist business unit which brings together the strategic and activation capabilities of OMD and PHD in the mobile space.

    The new organisation aims to drive market-leading data, targeting and experiential capabilities across the dynamic media and devices segments in the region.

    Platforms Asia Pacific CEO Lee Smith said, “Mobile is the least brandished weapon in the arsenal of connected media platforms in this region. Our relentless drive to empower all media with the connectivity and accountability of digital platforms is coming to life via mobile. We‘re very excited to position our fantastic talent inside a powerful nucleus like Airwave.”

    Omnicom Media Group APAC CEO Barry Cupples added, “Devices have become ubiquitous now, making the mobile revolution in Asia Pacific an opportunity that marketers cannot afford to ignore. As the fastest growing mobile market in the world, the Asia Pacific region is poised to be a dominant player in the global mobile marketplace. Airwave has the best experts within the mobile industry that will supercharge our capabilities in this space, enhancing our value-proposition in the industry.”

  • France’s BPI aligns APAC media biz with MPG Media Contacts

    MUMBAI: French fragrance company Beaute Prestige International (BPI) has appointed Havas Media agency, MPG Media Contacts, as its regional media AOR.

    The account will be handled out of the agency‘s Singapore office. The incumbent agency on the account is Carat Singapore.

    The mandate includes responsibilities of the offline and online media planning and buying duties for brands under BPI umbrella, including Issey Miyake, Jean Paul Gaultier, Elie Saab and Narciso Rodriguez.

    BPI is based in based in Paris and has regional offices in Miami and Singapore. It was founded in 1990.

    BPI Asia Pacific marketing director Karen Cheong said, “We have chosen MPG because they have a strong experience working with luxury and fragrance brands. Their support network of offices in 18 markets across Asia-Pacific, coordinated out of their regional hub in Singapore closely matches our own regional set-up and will allow us to benefit from both local and regional expertise in media buying.”

    Havas Media Singapore CEO Melvin Lim said, “BPI has an iconic roster of brands and we are happy to be given an opportunity to work on them. Our expertise and success in working with luxury brands was what encouraged the clients to entrust this account to us. The team in Singapore is already working on the media strategy and plans for the brands under the BPI umbrella.”

  • Leo Burnett Group appoints Saurabh Varma as regional chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Leo Burnett chief strategy officer Singapore and Malaysia Saurabh Varma has been elevated to the post of regional chief strategy officer for the APAC region. He will report directly to Leo Burnett Asia-Pacific president Jarek Ziebinski.

    In his role as regional chief strategic officer, Varma will oversee all heads of strategy and planning directors across all Leo Burnett Group offices in the region. He will be responsible for ensuring that strategists of all planning disciplines across Asia-Pacific are properly trained and well-equipped.

    He will also head a regional effectiveness council which will comprise key effectiveness leaders overseeing sub-regions of Southeast Asia, North Asia, India and Subcontinent and Australia which Leo Burnett will be launching in the near future. Varma will continue as a member of the Leo Burnett Worldwide HumanKind Standards Board and represent Leo Burnett Asia-Pacific on the Leo Burnett Worldwide Global Planning Board.

    Varma joined Leo Burnett in 2007 and has more than 14 years of aggregate experience in the industry having worked across multiple categories including retail, FMCG, banking and finance and consumer durables. During this time he has worked on brands such as Indian Oil, Lakme, Vicks, Nivea, Fosters, Philips, HP, Blackberry, Samsung, Friesland Campina Asia-Pacific (Dutch Lady/Foremost/Frisian Flag), MCYS and United Overseas Bank.

  • DDB’s global creative centre moves to Shanghai

    DDB’s global creative centre moves to Shanghai

    MUMBAI: In a move to reinforce its presence in the APAC region, DDB Worldwide has announced that chief creative officer Amir Kassaei will be establishing DDB‘s global creative centre in Shanghai. Kassaei was appointed DDB Worldwide’s chief creative officer in February 2011.

    This new move complements DDB Group Asia Pacific, India and Japan chairman and CEO John Zeigler’s relocation to Singapore in December 2011. It is believed to be the first time a global Madison Avenue agency has moved its creative headquarters to China.

    Patrick Rona, who was earlier Tribal DDB Worldwide Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) president and DDB Group EMEA chief digital officer, has also been relocated to Singapore and will serve as Tribal DDB Asia Pacific‘s new President and chief digital officer for DDB Group Asia Pacific in January 2012.

    Zeigler said, “We‘re very honoured to have our global creative centre in Asia. World-class brands are moving here and they deserve world-class creative they have become accustomed to. Amir, with our top creative talent across the region, will deliver just this. I‘m sure of it. DDB Group Asia Pacific now has three core regional hubs – Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. Amir‘s move makes China the centre piece for our global creative work.”

    DDB Worldwide CEO Chuck Brymer said, “This is one of the most significant moves we have made in the history of DDB. The world as we know it is changing and our industry‘s growth market is now without doubt the Asian region. Move over New York, London, Paris. Hello Shanghai, Mumbai, Singapore. With this in mind, there‘s no time better to set up our creative powerhouse in China.”

    Kassaei joined DDB as chief creative officer and associate partner of DDB Germany, in 2003. As the youngest DDB chief creative officer in Europe, he quickly transformed it into one of the most creative and successful agencies in Germany. Under his leadership, DDB Germany has also been ranked as the most awarded German agency in the Gunn Report. During his tenure at DDB Germany Kassaei founded and established Tribal DDB Germany as a modern, multichannel agency. He is currently based in New York and his move to Shanghai is imminent.

    Amir has worked on a range of the world‘s major brands, including Allianz, Apple, Adidas, Bosch, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Nike, Reebok and Volkswagen.

  • Net-a-porter.com names Media Contacts, MPG as media AoR

    Net-a-porter.com names Media Contacts, MPG as media AoR

    MUMBAI: Online luxury retailer Net-A-Porter has selected Havas Media‘s MPG and Media Contacts as its media agencies of record for the EMEA and APAC region.

    MPG and Media Contacts, offline and online companies respectively, will handle the online retailer‘s media duties across key global markets in EMEA and APAC. 
     
    Havas Digital global CEO Anthony Rhind said, “We have invested a great amount of resources to ensure our delivery and service is leading edge across geographies, and that the value of Artemis, our proprietary digital campaign management platform, enables the maximisation of media across channels.”

    Net-a-porter.com was launched in June 2000 and has since established itself as premier luxury online fashion retailer. Presented in the style of a fashion magazine, Net-A-Porter features collections from over 400 designers including Chloé, Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Miu Miu and Stella McCartney among others.

  • Spatial Access gets investor, plans overseas expansion

    Spatial Access gets investor, plans overseas expansion

    MUMBAI: Spatial Access, the audit, advisory and analytics company founded by Meenakshi Menon (Madhvani) in October 2003, is looking to expand to Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines.


    The company is also splitting into three units – SA1, SA2 and SA3, each headed by a senior resource. “This ensures that clients have at hand a team who can truly add value to their business through insight and experience,” Spatial Access founder and chairperson Menon said.


    The eight-year-old company has also sold “significant stake” to a strategic investor in order to fund its expansion. “The next phase of the company will see us opening offices in Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. We have a strategic investor, a former Investment Banker from Deutsch Bank, Pavan Sukhdev, who has recently picked up a significant stake in the company. This will facilitate additional finances should that be required for our regional expansion,” Spatial Access founder and chairperson Menon said.


    The company measures all kinds of marketing investments ranging from media to production, PR and events, with a view to help advertiser’s measure and enhance advertising ROI.


    The company has also revealed its new logo that signifies a heart to edges imagery, like a storm, a ripple effect that slows down before it comes to an end.


    “One of the challenges of growth is ensuring service quality. How do you deliver top class value to one client and a 100, with the same degree of detail and quality? How do you maintain these standards in the face of expansion across both the services and the geographies? Clients need hands on involvement from senior resources. They want to benefit from experience and talent. Our innovative response has been to split the company into three Units,” Menon said. 
     
    The SA1 unit, headed by Nikhil Rangnekar focuses on audits and analytics. Rangnekar will look after the Indian audit and advisory business in addition to being the analytics lead for clients across the globe. Meanwhile, Harsha Joshi and her team will play a support role in terms of providing buying benchmarks and advice on buying strategies for all domestic clients.


    SA2 unit, headed by Geetanjali Bhattacharjii, will function as marketing services audit and advisory. This unit specialises in measuring the ROI from all marketing inputs, other than media. Developing sophisticated technology and proprietary processes to measure the so far immeasurable is Bhattacharjii’s focus.


    SA3 is headed by Joshi who has spent over two decades buying media first at Mindshare then at Madison. Joshi is the lead on all International business and APAC expansion. She will work with local teams in markets across APAC to deliver value to the company‘s clients.


    All three units will be supported by the company CFO Rabel Advani and technology partner Prof Claudio Conti.


    “Our vision is to be the first Indian transnational company in the audit and advisory space. We have been successful pioneers in the Indian market and have consolidated our position over the last four years. Now the time has come to take across to the APAC market, the service that has been recognised by the demanding Indian marketer as an Idea whose time has come,” Menon added.

  • Starcom MediaVest launches LiquidThread in APAC

    Starcom MediaVest launches LiquidThread in APAC

    MUMBAI: In a move to better capitalise on changing consumer behaviours driven by technology and social media and to deliver more effective human experiences through content, Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) announced the launch of digital-led, Liquid Thread in APAC, including India.

    The newly formed unit is geared to create and sequence content across every screen to advance marketer goals. 

    CVL Srinivas will take charge as managing director of LiquidThread APAC from 5 January.

    Said SMG Global CEO Laura Desmond, “Liquid Thread sits at the intersection of human truth, digital and content. As a Human Experience Company, it is incumbent upon us to make content more easily accessible and readily available, acknowledging and embracing the fact that it will be picked up, played with, iterated, built upon and passed along. These are the terms that consumers have set, and the reality that we respect.” 

    Liquid Thread was launched in the US in April 2009.

    Liquid Thread‘s re-imagined approach is rooted in digital and social media innovation, to drive unique audience segmenting and content sequencing to ensure clients‘ messages reach consumers at right times, in optimal places and spaces.