By A Correspondent
The Asian Marketing Effectiveness and Strategy Awards has announced the first of its jury presidents as Rahul Welde and James Thompson.
Mr Welde, Vice President of Media at Unilever, will head the Media Strategy jury. As the person responsible for driving the media and communication agenda through a network of agencies and partners in the region for Unilever, Mr Welde has played a pivotal role in driving digital in the region with key strategic partnerships with global as well as regional players.
Commenting on his position as jury president, Mr Welde said: “It’s fantastic that the AMES are recognising Media Strategy as its own section in 2014 and I am very much looking forward to being a part of this category in its inaugural year. Media strategy is a crucial part of any marketing campaign and I can’t wait to see the unique, imaginative and innovative ways in which the region has deployed it to achieve quantifiable results”.
The Media Strategy Jury:
Rahul Welde, Vice President of Media, Unilever Asia, Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Russia – Jury President
Amcke Becker, Marketing Excellence Manager, Asia & Middle East, FrieslandCampina
Bindu Sethi, Chief Strategy Officer, India, JWT
Catherine Williams, Partner, Strategy, Asia Pacific, Mindshare
Chun-Yu Shih, General Manager, WebGene Inc.
Donna Kim, Media Strategy Director, South Korea, Cheil Worldwide
Guy Hearn, Chief Innovation Officer, Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group
Jerry Blanton, Vice President & Global Marketing Director, Asia & EMEA, Citibank
Joe Nakamura, CEO, Japan, UM
Koichi Yamamoto, Senior Planning Director, Japan, Dentsu Inc.
Lilian Leong, Managing Director, Hong Kong, IPG Mediabrands
Lizzie Nolan, Asia Pacific Head of MediaCom Beyond Advertising, MediaCom
Malcolm Hanlon, Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific, ZenithOptimedia
Masashi Ariizumi, Senior Planning Director, Japan, ADK
Neil Stewart, Global Chief Client Officer, Maxus
Ranganathan Somanathan, Chief Operating Officer, South East Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group
Rohan Jha, Senior General Manager of Media & Promotions, Sony Music Entertainment India
Sean O’Brien, CEO, Asia Pacific, Carat
Sean Rach, Regional Director, Brand and Corporate Affairs, Prudential Corporation Asia
Stephanie Bell, Regional Media Director, China, Australia, Japan and Korea, L’Oreal
Torie Henderson, President, Global Account Management, Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group
Meanwhile, James Thompson, Global Managing Director, Diageo Reserve, will chair the Effectiveness jury. Prior to joining Diageo, Mr Thompson worked for Unilever in London, New York and Brussels. Commenting on his role as president, Mr Thompson said: “I am delighted to have been invited to chair the jury at this year’s AMES. This event has become one of the most prestigious on the region’s awards circuit. It celebrates brilliant joined-up thinking and the effectiveness that great execution of that thinking generates. It is exciting to have an opportunity to review the best of the best work – with a distinguished panel from across the industry.”
The Effectiveness Jury:
James Thompson, Diageo, Managing Director Global Reserve – Jury President
Ashutosh Srivastava, Chairman / CEO, APAC, Russia & Emerging Markets, Mindshare
Charles Cadell, President, Asia Pacific, McCann Worldgroup
Cheuk Chiang, CEO, Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group
Chris Thomas, Chairman and CEO of BBDO Asia, Middle East and Africa, Chairman of Proximity Worldwide, BBDO/Proximity ‎
Christine Xu, VP and CMO, China, McDonald’s,
David Brain, President & CEO, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Edelman
David Mayo, CEO, Bates CHI & Partners Asia
Dick van Motman, Chairman & CEO Dentsu Aegis Network/Southeast Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network
Freddy Bharucha, General Manager, Asia Marketing, Procter & Gamble
Gavin Ashcroft, Chief Strategy Officer, Australia & New Zealand, Carat
Gerry Boyle, Chairman, Asia Pacific, ZenithOptimedia
Harpreet Singh Tibb, Director of Marketing, India & South Asia, Kellogg
Hyoung Do Lee, Planning Director, South Korea, Cheil Worldwide
Jarek Ziebinski, President, Asia Pacific, Leo Burnett
Keith Smith, President, International, TBWA Group
Mark Heap, CEO, Asia Pacific, MediaCom
Matthew Godfrey, President, Asia, Y&R
Nirvik Singh, Chairman & CEO, Asia Pacific, Grey Group
Paul Heath, Chairman & CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific
Rob Campbell, Regional Head of Planning, Wieden + Kennedy
Rupen Desai, Regional President, Asia Pacific, Lowe + Partners
Sarah Reiter, President, Asia Pacific, FutureBrand
Steve Blakeman, CEO, Asia Pacific, OMD
Vikram Sakhuja, Global CEO, Maxus Worldwide
Vishnu Mohan, CEO, Asia Pacific, Havas Media Group
Wong Mei Wai, Head of Marketing, Vietnam, Asia Pacific Breweries
Commenting on the appointments, Terry Savage, Chairman of Lions Festivals, said:Â “We’re delighted that James and Rahul are joining us as we expand the awards to include strategy alongside effectiveness. They are proven achievers in the industry and it will be fantastic to work with them as we look to award truly ground-breaking work from across the region.”
A further two new awards categories, Digital Strategy and Data & Analytics, are also being introduced this year and details of the jury presidents and their juries for them will be announced soon.
Entries into the AMES are being accepted until March 7. Submissions can be made through the website, www.ames.asia, where further details of rules and fees can also be found. The chosen winners of the 2014 AMES will be revealed and honoured on stage at the dedicated Awards Ceremony on May 29 in Singapore.