People on the Move: Hires and departures at Beam Suntory, Heineken, Publicis One and more

Beam Suntory has poached Coca-Cola's senior vice-president, marketing and innovation, venturing and emerging brands, Rebecca Messina for its global chief marketing officer role.

She will serve on the maker of Jim Beam and Maker's Mark's executive leadership team and report to chairman and chief executive Matt Shattock.

In her current role, Messina leads brand strategy and growth for The Coca-Cola Company’s portfolio of high-growth, emerging brand companies.

Heineken

Heineken’s global marketing director, Søren Hagh, has been promoted to managing director in Italy.

Hagh is due to take over the managing director of Heineken Italia from 1 March, replacing Edwin Botterman who moves to the same position in Belgium.

Hagh, who joined Heineken in 2013 as executive director global marketing, lived in Italy for three years during his tenure at Lego. Prior to this he held positions at L’Oréal, Diageo and Lego.

Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury has announced that Karen Baines will be joining the company in the role of head of group marketing and communications, with effect from 31 May 2016.

She will be responsible for the company’s media strategies and promotional activity across its high-profile West End retail, restaurant and leisure destinations, which include Carnaby, Chinatown and Seven Dials.

Baines joins from the Heart of London Business Alliance, the West End Business Improvement Districts which represent 500 businesses and 100 property owners in the Piccadilly & St James’s and Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus areas, where she is currently head of marketing and communications.

Publicis One

Publicis One, the new agency group for all markets outside Publicis Groupe’s top 20, has announced key global and regional leaders.

APAC chief executive officer will be Nicolas Menat, formerly president and representative director of Beacon in Tokyo. LATAM will be led by Starcom Mediavest Group’s Monica Gadsby, taking up the role of chief executive for the region.

In EMEA, where Publicis One believes the market is more complicated, the leadership will be split further. Johan Parmentier has been appointed as regional chief executive officer for Benelux, Misa Lukic will do the same for Central Eastern Europe and Kevin Tromp for Africa.

Denstu

Denstu has promoted Dentsu Möbius chief executive James Hawkins to the wider role of Dentsu media chief digital officer, APAC.

Hawkins will take on the new role in addition to his current role, reporting into Takaki Hibino, chief executive Dentsu and Dentsu media Asia Pacific, and Rosalynn Tay, chief executive Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore.

Hawkins joined Dentsu in 2012 when he launched digital unit Dentsu Möbius for the network. The agency has amassed global clients including Singapore Airlines, Mondelēz International and Disney Studios, to its roster.

Carat

Carat Malaysia has announced the promotion of Darren Yuen to chief executive officer, succeeding Bala Pomaleh who has moved on to pursue other opportunities.

A pedigree of Carat Malaysia, Yuen began his career at the media specialist agency 19 years ago as a rookie in the research department. The appointment is effective immediately.

Livity

Youth agency Livity has hired Brave’s innovation strategist Felix Morgan to take on similar duties in a newly-created role.

He joins the business as senior strategist and innovation lead, working with clients such as Unilever, Barclays and Google to reach younger audiences. He sits within Livity’s strategy department and reports to managing director Alex Goat.

Maxus

Maxus has announced that its former SEO director, Kostas Voudouris, will re-join the company as its head of organic performance in the UK.

Voudouris served as Maxus SEO director from 2011 to 2015, before moving to New York to work as organic search director at Catalyst and MEC.

In his new role he will work on delivering integrated performance solutions across both paid and organic channels for Maxus clients.

Havas Worldwide

Havas Worldwide has appointed Ricky Lam as managing director of Havas Worldwide Hong Kong.

Lam is no stranger to Havas, having spent 14 years of his advertising career in the network. He began his career at Havas Worldwide Hong Kong in 2000, where he stayed for 10 years before relocating to China as business director of Havas Worldwide Beijing.

Most recently as the senior business director of TBWA\Shanghai, he focused on leading integrated campaigns for the agency’s key clients in China. In his new role, he will lead and manage the group’s creative operations with a

central focus on talent acquisition, growing existing clients, and driving new

business.

Brave

London-based agency Brave ramps up its creative power with the hire of Mike Nicholson to the role of executive creative director. The appointment comes on the back of recent new client wins such as Noddle, Hyperoptic and feelunique.com.

In his new role, Nicholson will strengthen Brave’s promise of ‘courage counts’ and will be helping clients to de-risk the creative decision-making process.

He brings over 20 years of international experience to Brave’s growing business. He has worked around the world, holding positions at the likes of TBWA, M&C Saatchi, The Viral Factory and Wieden + Kennedy.

Nomensa

UK-based UX digital design firm Nomensa is continuing its European expansion with the opening of its Amsterdam office.

Nestled in the popular East side of the city, on ‘Weesperstraat’, Nomensa’s new office will be headed up by former Publicis Amsterdam recruit, Katelijn van Lieshout to support its growing client base in the Dutch capital.

Levy McCallum

John Carrick, senior art director at Scottish-based agency Levy McCallum is to retire.

Having entered the design industry in 1969 when he joined Maclehose Design, Carrick developed his talents with spells in Ray Barbour Graphics, Peter Menzies Advertising, HSF Studios, Jack Davis Publicity, Ross Woodruff, Shaw Geddies, Campbell, Craig and Gibbons before joining Levy McCallum in 1981.

The agency says his contribution to "every account the agency handled over three and a half decades won the admiration of clients and colleagues without exception."

CtrlShift

Deepika Nikhilender, former Mindshare-GEMS chief executive is to join CtrlShift’s veteran leadership team as managing director.

Based in Singapore, Nikhilender will report to chief executive and co-founder, Rene E. Menezes.

As managing director, she will have full leadership responsibility over two of CtrlShift’s most prominent business units: marketer solutions and publisher solutions.

Morar

Strategic insight firm Morar has revamped its management lineup with head of consultancy Roger Perowne now managing director, former global director at Interbrand Julian Dailly joining as head of consultancy and director Paddy Sutton promoted to head of strategy and Jane Hales, former Director of Redshift Research, completes the new line-up as Director

Morar, which operates internationally, joined forces with Redshift Research in October 2015 and works with brands such as Admiral, Fitness First, Pizza Express and Wagamama.

Way to Blue

Global communications agency Way to Blue has hired LightBrigade PR’s managing director Alan Twigg to head up its consumer arm. Twigg, who left Fishburn Hedges consumer arm Seventy Seven as managing partner four years ago to set up his own PR outfit will now focus on developing the Way to Blue group’s brand PR business.

“We have been growing our consumer brand work for some time and Alan will help us accelerate that growth,” said chief executive Adam Rubins.

He brings a wealth of experience to our PR offer and his track record in working with big brands and creating award winning campaigns is formidable. This addition further enhances our paid, owned and earned offering in the consumer space,”

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