Isobar appoints Jean Lin as global CEO

The appointment is effective immediately.

Lin’s promotion follows the appointment of Mark Cranmer to the role of chairman of Isobar. Cranmer will support Lin in the first months of her new role before leaving the company at the end of June, the agency said in a statement. 

“Jean is one of our most talented leaders and I am delighted to appoint her to the role of global CEO Isobar," Jerry Buhlmann, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network, said, adding that the appointment is a "natural next step" given Lin's "stunning progress" in developing her own business, and then Isobar, across Taiwan, China and APAC.

"Mark has served the company brilliantly for five years and made an enormous contribution to many parts of the business, not least in building Isobar into the competitive network within Dentsu Aegis Network that it is today," Buhlmann continued. "We wish Mark all the best for the future.”

Lin praised Cranmer's leadership and said Isobar is "poised to leap forward in the post digital world."

Cranmer said there is no one better placed than Lin to take the agency to the next level. "It’s been a fantastic journey working with such committed and passionate people at Isobar, and previously at iProspect," he added.

Nick Waters, CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network Asia Pacific, also told Campaign Asia-Pacific that Lin is the best internal talent for the job, and since she is based in Shanghai and has no intention of relocating, it is natural for her to lead Isobar globally from where she is.

"It can be Shanghai or New York or Tokyo. This sends a strong signal to the network that it doesn't really matter where the headquarters is, as long as there is a compelling reason, which in this case is talent," he said. China is one of the most important, if not complex, digital markets in the world, and that of course aided the decision.