EssenceMediacom – GroupM’s newest and largest agency – today announced the appointment of Wendy Siew as the agency’s Managing Director for Japan. Previously in a co-leadership role, she will now be solely responsible for leading the Japan office. She will drive the agency’s ambition to deliver marketing breakthroughs for brands in the new communications economy, by disrupting old models across media, creative, innovation, and analytics to find new opportunities for its clients, and creating a culturally intelligent and inclusive workplace for its people.
In January 2023, the merger of Essence and MediaCom brought together Essence’s performance, data, analytics, and creative technology DNA, and MediaCom’s scaled multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise. This expedited EssenceMediacom Japan’s growth, putting the office in first position in digital billings (Source: COMvergence, 2022) with global brands Dell, Google, IKEA, P&G, and Uber as key clients under one roof, and bringing the total staff strength to 130.
“It is an incredible honour to be leading this dynamic team in a US$48.6 billion advertising market – APAC’s second largest. We remain even more committed than ever to delivering innovation and business results for our clients through the effective use of media,” said Siew.
Siew joined MediaCom in 2011 as Head of Digital in Singapore, and was quickly recognised by colleagues and clients for her cutting-edge digital expertise and business-oriented mindset. She was continuously elevated through the years, and relocated to Japan in 2019 to later lead the team as General Manager. With over 20 years of experience in the advertising and media industry, she has led and managed multicultural teams across APAC, delivering media return on investment through digital-first thinking, innovation, and attention to execution. She is also passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, having most recently discussed the importance of generational diversity, gender diversity, and familial aid in Japan.
Based out of Tokyo, Siew will report to EssenceMediacom APAC CEO, Rupert McPetrie, as part of the agency’s APAC leadership team, and GroupM Northeast Asia CEO, Michael Beecroft, as part of GroupM Japan’s executive committee.
“Wendy is a brilliant leader, focused on developing people and capabilties, and with a deep understanding of client businesses and opportunities for breakthrough work. Japan is a key strategic market for us with a great client roster. Following a strong 2023, I am confident and excited that under Wendy’s leadership, our clients, our people, and our business will continue to thrive,” said McPetrie.
“Wendy’s contribution to EssenceMediacom’s growth has been impressive. I am looking forward to witnessing the positive impact she will have leading EssenceMediacom in Japan, and I believe that the overall GroupM business will only increase,” said Beecroft.
Taken from: https://www.essencemediacom.com/news/wendy-siew-to-lead-essencemediacom-in-japan