Mediabrands Appoints Melinda Po CEO of Greater China - Branding in Asia Magazine
2022-05-09
Mediabrands has announced the appointment of Melinda Po to the newly-created position of CEO Mediabrands Greater China. Po is tasked with leading the network offering across Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Po brings 20 years of experience in the Greater China region, including having successfully led Edelman’s transformation from a PR agency into an integrated business solutions partner from 2018-2021. She additionally brings experience re-designing the Ogilvy advertising and brand content business model in China, in addition to previous senior leadership roles across Arcade and AKQA. She joins Mediabrands from her most recent role as President of Advertising at Ogilvy China.
The position with Mediabrands is effective immediately, she will be based in Shanghai and report to Leigh Terry, CEO Mediabrands APAC.
“With an in-depth understanding of the complex ecosystem in Greater China, Melinda will focus on strategies to transform and futureproof the Mediabrands business across the Greater China region to anticipate the needs of our clients in the short, medium, and long term,” said Terry.
“Along with her deep China digital marketing expertise, Melinda has a fast-paced, modern outlook, with an open and empowering leadership style proven to be successful in driving transformation and top-line growth.”
Po added: “The ability to drive effective …
Melinda Po joins Mediabrands in newly created CEO of Greater China role - Campaign Brief Asia
2022-05-09
Mediabrands, the media and marketing solutions division of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), has announced the appointment of Melinda Po to the newly created position of CEO Mediabrands Greater China.
With 20 years industry experience across the Greater China region, Po is a modern thinker with a strong advertising and digital marketing background. Having successfully led Edelman’s transformation from a PR agency into an integrated business solutions partner from 2018-2021, Po drew upon her prior experience re-designing the Ogilvy advertising and brand content business model in China, in addition to previous senior leadership roles across Arcade and AKQA. Joining from her most recent role as President of Advertising at Ogilvy China, Po specialises in cultural and organisational transformation using her craft in the consulting space to help companies elevate their strategic relationship with clients.
In her new appointment as Mediabrands CEO Greater China, Po will be responsible for leading the network offering across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Fully leveraging all the Mediabrands agencies and functions as a future facing media and communications partner to its clients’ business.
Leigh Terry, CEO, Mediabrands APAC, said: “With an in-depth understanding of the complex ecosystem in Greater China, Melinda will focus on strategies to transform and …
From enterprising teenager to advertising executive in one short skip | The Sunday Times
2022-05-07
A paper round used to be a rite of passage for teenagers. But for Ajaz Ahmed, founder and chief executive of the digital advertising agency AKQA, it also sparked an enduring interest in tech.
One of his deliveries was to Ashton-Tate, a US software firm with an outpost in the Thames Valley. “I dropped off the papers . . . and then I saw a skip in the car park. As any 12-year-old would, I looked inside it and what was trash to the third-largest software company in the world was an Aladdin’s cave for me,” recalled Ahmed, 49.
He asked the receptionist if he could have some of the hundreds of floppy disks that were being thrown away. The request was passed to an
Christian Juhl on EssenceMediacom: 'Clients want a single agency to handle brand and ...
2022-04-27
The world’s biggest advertising buyer has said it makes sense to merge two of its top agencies, Essence and MediaCom, because “more than anything, clients want a single agency that can handle brand and performance”.
Christian Juhl, the global chief executive of WPP’s Group M, was speaking to Campaign after announcing a major restructure that will also see Mindshare absorb performance agency Neo and the creation of a new activation division, Group M Nexus, to house programmatic arm Xaxis, addressable TV unit Finecast and other digital services.
The strategic ambition is to make Group M’s offer simpler and to drive growth for clients, rather than make savings, according to Juhl, who has been global CEO since October 2019.
He described Group M’s new structure as a pyramid with the three main agencies, EssenceMediacom, Mindshare and Wavemaker at the top, Group M Nexus’s services in the middle and Choreograph, the data arm, at the bottom.
Here is an edited transcript of parts of the interview:
Campaign: This appears to be quite a dramatic series of changes. The attention will be on EssenceMediacom. What’s going on here?
Juhl: We have a five-year strategy for Group M and we outlined that [at the start] two-and-a-half years ago [in 2019] …
WPP starts 2022 strongly, raises guidance to 6% and rejigs GroupM into new data-based ...
2022-04-27
WPP has joined rivals Omnicom and Publicis in moving strongly into 2022 (Ukraine war notwithstanding) reporting organic growth of 9.5% across the board on a revenue increase of 6.7% to just over £3bn in Q1.
WPP’s measure of organic growth is like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs (not exactly the same as its rivals.) In Q1 the US grew 8.9%, UK 8.1%, Germany 16.1%, China 11.9% and India 25.1%. Most of WPP’s businesses performed either well or reasonably although it’s a changing picture at WPP with a big media agency reorganisation (some would say rationalisation) also announced (full story below,)
WPP has also confirmed its intention to enter end-to-end digital commerce with its new Everymile entity.
CEO Mark Read says: “The year has started very well with continued momentum from 2021 resulting in strong growth across all businesses and regions. Demand is strong for our services, particularly in digital media, ecommerce, data and marketing technology.
“The war in Ukraine has created an appalling humanitarian crisis. We continue to support our people in Ukraine, many of whom are now displaced, with financial and practical assistance. Our partnership with the UNHCR on their emergency fundraising appeal has generated $150 million to date, including over $1.3 million from …
GroupM creates EssenceMediacom globally, Pat Crowley to lead merged 550-person agency
2022-04-26
A global move from WPP media investment business GroupM has seen it merge two key media agencies, Essence and Mediacom, to create EssenceMediacom. Locally, the agency will be led by current Essence CEO, Pat Crowley.
As part of the move, current Mediacom CEO in Australia, Yaron Farizon, who has been in the role for less than a year, replacing Willy Pang in May 2021, will now head back to London for a global role within EssenceMediacom.
Combining the two agencies will create a 550-person agency locally, GroupM said, with the merger to get underway globally in January 2023, however in Australia, it is set to be put into motion immediately.
This marks the third merger relevant to Essence in just over a year, with WPP initially merging AKQA Media and Ikon Communications in February last year, then merging the new AKQA Media with Essence, formalised on the first day of this year to create the current Essence. Both Ikon Communications and AKQA Media brands were dropped in the process.
The merger with AKQA Media put Essence on equal footing with other GroupM agencies, Mediacom, Mindshare, and Wavemaker in terms of size. Now the creation of EssenceMediacom forms the biggest in the GroupM basket and …
WPP Appoints Kyoko Matsushita as Chief Executive Officer in Japan | Business Wire
2022-04-26
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WPP (NYSE: WPP) today announces the appointment of Kyoko Matsushita as CEO in Japan. In this new role, Kyoko will be responsible for WPP’s business in Japan, strengthening its collective capabilities and bringing together people and resources on behalf of clients.
Kyoko is currently Chief Executive Officer for Essence Global, WPP’s global data and measurement-driven full-service media agency, with 23 offices in 12 countries. Kyoko joined Essence in 2014 as the first CEO of the APAC region. This appointment will see her return to Asia, based in Tokyo, after a transition period as the merged EssenceMediacom business – also announced today – prepares for its launch.
Kyoko’s role as CEO of WPP in Japan reflects a new commitment to identify growth opportunities, drive greater collaboration and cooperation across WPP agencies, and invest in people in a market with a rich history and strong cultural identity.
As the world’s third-largest economy, Japan plays a vital role for WPP in the region and globally. Japan is a $51bn advertising market, ranked third after the USA and China and the fourth largest market globally for ecommerce. WPP companies operating in Japan include AKQA, BCW, Essence, Finsbury Glover Hering, Grey, GroupM, Hogarth, Landor & Fitch, …
Kyoko Matsushita named CEO of WPP Japan | News | Campaign Asia
2022-04-26
WPP has named Kyoko Matsushita into a newly carved role of CEO in Japan, a shift from her current role as global CEO of Essence. As part of this new role for which she will move from San Francisco back to Tokyo, she will be responsible for WPP’s entire business in Japan and will aim to strengthen the network’s collective capabilities. The news comes amid Essence’s merger with MediaCom, a major reshuffle for WPP’s GroupM.
In Japan, a US$51 billion advertising market, Matsushita will oversee a team of nearly 1,000 under more than 15 network brands including AKQA, Essence, BCW, GroupM, Ogilvy, VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson. Key clients in this market are Amazon, Dell Technologies, Gilead Sciences, Google, IBM, Mars, Mitsubishi, Mondelez, Nestlé, Pfizer, P&G, Sony, Toyota, Uber and others.
In her current role for Essence, Matsushita manages 23 offices in 12 countries. Prior to her promotion to global CEO, she was Essence’s first global chief client officer where she led the client services practice, client satisfaction, and organic and new business growth. She joined the firm in 2014 as the first CEO of the APAC region during which she oversaw the management of 11 offices in the region and established Essence's …
WPP Appoints Kyoko Matsushita as Chief Executive Officer in Japan - MarTech Series
2022-04-26
WPP announces the appointment of Kyoko Matsushita as CEO in Japan. In this new role, Kyoko will be responsible for WPP’s business in Japan, strengthening its collective capabilities and bringing together people and resources on behalf of clients.
Kyoko is currently Chief Executive Officer for Essence Global, WPP’s global data and measurement-driven full-service media agency, with 23 offices in 12 countries. Kyoko joined Essence in 2014 as the first CEO of the APAC region. This appointment will see her return to Asia, based in Tokyo, after a transition period as the merged EssenceMediacom business – also announced today – prepares for its launch.
Kyoko’s role as CEO of WPP in Japan reflects a new commitment to identify growth opportunities, drive greater collaboration and cooperation across WPP agencies, and invest in people in a market with a rich history and strong cultural identity.
As the world’s third-largest economy, Japan plays a vital role for WPP in the region and globally. Japan is a $51bn advertising market, ranked third after the USA and China and the fourth largest market globally for ecommerce. WPP companies operating in Japan include AKQA, BCW, Essence, Finsbury Glover Hering, Grey, GroupM, Hogarth, Landor & Fitch, MediaCom, Mindshare, Ogilvy, VMLY&R, Verticurl, …
WPP appoints Kyoko Matsushita as Chief Executive Officer in Japan
2022-04-26
WPP today announces the appointment of Kyoko Matsushita as CEO in Japan. In this new role, Kyoko will be responsible for WPP’s business in Japan, strengthening its collective capabilities and bringing together people and resources on behalf of clients.
Kyoko is currently Chief Executive Officer for Essence Global, WPP’s global data and measurement-driven full-service media agency, with 23 offices in 12 countries. Kyoko joined Essence in 2014 as the first CEO of the APAC region. This appointment will see her return to Asia, based in Tokyo, after a transition period as the merged EssenceMediacom business – also announced today – prepares for its launch.
Kyoko’s role as CEO of WPP in Japan reflects a new commitment to identify growth opportunities, drive greater collaboration and cooperation across WPP agencies, and invest in people in a market with a rich history and strong cultural identity.
As the world’s third-largest economy, Japan plays a vital role for WPP in the region and globally. Japan is a $51bn advertising market, ranked third after the USA and China and the fourth largest market globally for ecommerce. WPP companies operating in Japan include AKQA, BCW, Essence, Finsbury Glover Hering, Grey, GroupM, Hogarth, Landor & Fitch, MediaCom, Mindshare, Ogilvy, VMLY&R, …
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