Jenny Chan 陳詠欣
Aug 1, 2012

Charlise Chen replaces Canon Wu as Momentum Greater China's ECD

SHANGHAI - Momentum has headhunted Charlise Chen (pictured), a Malaysian with Leo Burnett Singapore, to be its Greater China executive creative director, replacing outgoing chief creative officer Canon Wu.

Chen has more than 13 years experience in the industry
Chen has more than 13 years experience in the industry

With immediate effect, Chen will be responsible for driving the strategic creative direction of the agency across offices in Greater China: Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taiwan, overseeing clients Nestlé, China Telecom, NFL and Coca-Cola.

Based in Shanghai, Chen will report to John Steere, president and regional director of Momentum Greater China. She will partner with another imported talent from Southeast Asia—Martin Lee, new ECD for McCann Worldgroup in China.

According to Steere, who made the hire, Chen's core strength lies in designing creative shopper marketing executions that relate to shopper behaviour such as purchase preferences, barriers, and decisions.

She has created deployment tools in market development organisation (MDO) campaigns, retail design (including HoReCa and unconventional outlet), as well as packaging.

Industry sources have said Chen's predecessor Wu was a "hidden gem quietly creating stunning ideas" for Puma, L'Oreal and Maybelline, who knew how to build a "new-generation creative cult inside a traditional [agency] setup". However Momentum is confident that Chen's CV speaks for itself.

Chen joins the agency from Leo Burnett Singapore, where she was creative director focusing on Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia for Gillette and SK-II. For SK-II in particular, her team's work helped increase sales in the ASEAN market, resulting in the addition of US and Australia to her remit.

Her most recent experience in the mainland shopper marketing industry was with Saatchi & Saatchi X China from September 2008 to October 2009, specialising in handling Pampers (a 'Babytorium' for mothers), Tesco (weekly direct mailer), and Oppo (retail store design).

From December 2006 to July 2008, she also served the British American Tobacco (BAT) portfolio of brands such as Dunhill, Lucky Strike, and Kent at G2 in Shanghai.

Commenting on her new task, Chen said the Chinese landscape is aggressively evolving with more and more discerning shoppers.

“Chinese shoppers have a greater choice in how and where they shop nowadays—at home, in-store, online, or via mobile devices," Steere added. "Consequently, retailers have to be a lot clearer on why shoppers should choose them and what is the specific value they provide."

 

Source:
Campaign China

Related Articles

Just Published

2 hours ago

Publicis hikes salaries 7% after record 2024 and is ...

Agency group 'reinforces talent pool' as it sees 'opportunity' in challenging 'new Omnicom'.

7 hours ago

How adland can reduce emissions from streaming ads

As budgets shift from linear TV to streaming, Campaign explores how some agencies are devising new tools to reduce the increased emissions that streaming generates while minimising the carbon footprint of their overall digital media.

8 hours ago

Assembly achieves B Corp in six APAC markets

EXCLUSIVE: The agency sets sustainability targets to expand certification to India, MENA, and North America next.

8 hours ago

How the industry can move past rhetoric to take on ...

While major agencies and holding companies have floundered in their response to climate activists, a concerted communication strategy around carbon pricing could turn things around, says independent communications consultant Paul Mottram.