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Tag: Donna Imperato

  • WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe acquires majority stake in Brazil’s Grupo Maquina

    WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe acquires majority stake in Brazil’s Grupo Maquina

    MUMBAI: After acquiring a majority stake in India’s Six Degrees PR and Alphabet Consulting in September last year, WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe has made its second recent acquisition. The agency has now acquired a majority stake in Brazil’s public relations agency Grupo Maquina.

     

    Maquina Cohn & Wolfe, with 240 employees across offices in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, has the combined talent and experience to meet demand for global integrated marketing services from Brazilian companies and multinational companies alike. 

     

    Maquina was founded in 1995 by Maristela Mafei. Today, Maquina is known for its digital and integrated communications work across numerous industries, including finance, education, consumer technology, retail, entertainment, government and tourism. The agency has specialty divisions focused on digital, video content, branding, advertising and package design services.

     

    “Latin America has become a very important region for our clients and Brazil is a critical market for Cohn & Wolfe. After working with many good agencies, we were most impressed with Maquina’s excellence in digital and integrated marketing. They have an impressive client base and an equally impressive leadership team. We share values, including creativity, entrepreneurship and focus on client service, which will ensure a strong and long-lasting partnership and joint success,” says Cohn & Wolfe CEO Donna Imperato.

     

    Mafei will remain director-general of Maquina Cohn & Wolfe, reporting to Imperato. Marcelo Diego and Daniella Camargos will continue in their roles as co-CEOs, reporting to Mafei. They will keep their positions as partners with Maquina Cohn & Wolfe.

     

    The agency’s roster of both public and private sector clients includes Credit Suisse, EY, Zara, Xerox, Carrefour, L’Oréal, Nextel, MetLife, Bridgestone, GP Investments, Embratur, BRMalls, Qualicorp, Hypermarcas, Raízen, BRF, Grupo Estacio, Insper and Gafisa.

     

    “We recently celebrated our 20th anniversary and I couldn’t be more proud of the accomplishments of our remarkable teams and the work they have done for our trusted clients,” says Mafei. “What I envision for our next 20 years can be achieved by becoming part of the Cohn & Wolfe family. This partnership will bring unmatched strengths globally that will benefit our current multinational clients and attract many more here and throughout Latin America. We will continue to provide the best of our culture, but will now be associated with one of the largest agencies in the world.”

  • Cohn & Wolfe welcomes Doug Buemi as Asia Pacific, Regional Director

    Cohn & Wolfe welcomes Doug Buemi as Asia Pacific, Regional Director

    MUMBAI: Cohn & Wolfe, a leading global communications agency, today announced the appointment of Doug Buemi as Vice Chairman, Regional Director, Asia Pacific.  Buemi is a Cohn & Wolfe alumnus who established the agency’s presence in China in 2006 with the opening of its Shanghai office.  He also held several other leadership positions at Cohn & Wolfe including Vice Chairman, Los Angeles market leader and Western Region CEO.

     

    In this newly created global leadership position, Buemi will have management oversight of the Asia-Pacific region, working closely with regional market leaders to help grow the agency’s business, build capabilities and develop talent.  Doug will also advise on global strategy and partner with Donna Imperato, Cohn & Wolfe CEO, to expand the agency’s presence in the region.

     

    Buemi joins Cohn & Wolfe from Ogilvy Public Relations, where he was Regional Executive Advisor, Asia Pacific.  At Ogilvy he continued his long-time leadership role in Ford’s Asia Pacific region and provided counsel and training for a range of top companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen-Cilag, Tesco Lotus and DuPont.  His responsibilities also included new business development and worldwide employee training, coaching and mentoring initiatives.  Buemi served as interim Chairman for the agency’s India and Thailand offices, and handled special initiatives in Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar.  Prior to Ogilvy, Buemi worked at Burson Marsteller, where he was executive vice president, a member of the worldwide board and Western Region Operations Manager.  He also owned and operated his own marketing communications firm for many years.

     

    “I couldn’t be happier to welcome Doug back.  He is a proven leader who understands the Cohn & Wolfe culture, and who brings deep brand marketing expertise and decades of experience counseling clients on complex business challenges,” said Imperato.  “Doug also recognizes what it takes to be successful in the Asia Pacific region, having established numerous winning ventures there for Cohn & Wolfe and other companies.”

     

    “It’s really great to be back helping Cohn & Wolfe continue its remarkable growth in Asia Pacific and expand its offerings elsewhere,” said Buemi.  “I’m delighted to be working with Donna, the Cohn & Wolfe account teams and clients to capture even more success in the world’s fastest growing markets.”

  • Cohn & Wolfe India appoints Rafi Khan as CEO

    Cohn & Wolfe India appoints Rafi Khan as CEO

    MUMBAI: Cohn & Wolfe today announced that Rafi Khan has joined Cohn & Wolfe India (CWI) as its CEO. Khan who takes over with immediate effect will be responsible for all operations in India, providing strategic leadership and direction for business growth. He will focus on key client relationships while building the business in a sustainable and profitable manner in line with CWI strategy.

     

    Khan will report to Cohn & Wolfe CEO Donna Imperato and be supported by Megha Sharma, who oversees the Delhi office.

     

    Khan has over 19 years of work experience and has been steering pan India media management, corporate and marketing communication, brand creation/re-positioning, image turnaround, entry strategy, crisis management, events and product launches, social media as well as internal communication. He has worked with several high profile national and international brands such as Max India Group – Max Healthcare, Max Bupa, Max India and Antara Senior Living Ltd., Mahindra Comviva, Etisalat, American Express, Homeshop18, Yahoo, TripAdvisor, Virgin Mobile, Goodyear,  WeChat, International Cricket Council, Ten Sports and Hewitt Associates among others.

     

    Formerly, Khan was the deputy managing consultant at Text100 India, responsible for the Northern region, where he spent six years. He has also held several positions of leadership in his career such as head of communications for D S Constructions, one of the largest infrastructure developers in India; head of infrastructure advisory and director eastern region at Image Inc. (A part of the Perfect Relations Group).  An economics bachelors holder from Allahabad University, Khan started his career as an entrepreneur with his own business venture, which he successfully ran for seven years and later sold to a large multinational.

     

    “Rafi brings a valuable mix of agency operational and corporate leadership experience to our growing offer in India. His brand marketing expertise will prove indispensible in creating successful strategies for both local and multi-national companies,” said Imperato.

     

    Cohn & Wolfe started its India operations in June 2012 and has offices in Delhi and Mumbai and a strong affiliate network across India. CWI team has extensive experience in key domains including corporate, lifestyle, consumer, corporate social responsibility and social media domain.

  • WPP’s Cohn & Wolfe appoints Charlotte Chunawala as India CEO

    Mumbai: Cohn & Wolfe, WPP‘s global communication agency, has appointed Charlotte Chunawala as CEO of India operations.

    The agency was launched in India in April this year. It has opened offices in Mumbai and Delhi to meet growing client needs for a presence in India.

    Chunawala will be responsible for all operations in India, providing strategic client counsel, leading new business efforts and ensuring integration with the agency‘s offices across the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.

    She will report in to Cohn & Wolfe CEO Donna Imperato. She will be supported by Mumbai head Dolly Tayal and Delhi head Piyal Banerjee.

    Cohn & Wolfe India will be supported by former Unilever India communications head Irfan Khan, who will serve as chairman of the board, and Prema Sagar, the PR thought leader in India, who will sit on the board and serve in a mentoring role as the agency continues its expansion.

    Imperato said, “These are dynamic times for development in India and there is tremendous potential for growth in the region. I am grateful to have a partner in Charlotte who brings a deep understanding of these market dynamics, and whose experience will greatly enhance our ability to serve clients who are looking for communications support in one of the fastest growing economies in the world.”

    Chunawala added, “I am excited to be heading Cohn and Wolfe‘s entry into the Indian market. With clients constantly demanding better brand understanding and brand definition, who better to work with than Cohn and Wolfe, which is recognised internationally as a leader in brand strategy.”

    Chunawala comes in with over 15 years of global experience in agency and consultant work in the UK, Europe and South Asia. She has managed high-profile client programs across key verticals including consumer, corporate and financial communications as well as public affairs. Chunawala has also worked with Good Relations India CEO and Edelman Brussels GM.

    Cohn & Wolfe is a firm dedicated to creating, building and protecting corporate brands. Its mission is to support through a mix of both traditional and unconventional marketing and public relations techniques designed to build media visibility, develop customer relationships and drive brand favorability and sales. Areas of expertise include consumer marketing, healthcare, IT and B2B communications. The agency has more than 1,100 employees in over 50 offices across North America, EMEA, and Asia.