Mediabrands' Daniel Simon says the network's reputation is 'undeserved'

Mediabrands two agencies in Asia, Initiative and UM, have suffered from a string of big-name exits over the last few years, delivering some crucial markdowns in assessments such as Campaign Asia-Pacific’s annual agency report cards (Initiative rated two out of 10 in last year’s rankings; UM scored four).

Simon doesn’t specifically criticise those numbers, and doesn’t want to offer a figure of his own, but says the industry has missed much of Mediabrands strengths. “We’re much better than how we’re perceived,” he attested. “We have operations that sometimes get overlooked.”

Simon has a unique place in the Mediabrands hierarchy, and a unique career history that has brought him there. The chief operating role is actually the most senior in Asia, but has a more “inward-looking” element. Simon admits he actually looked up the definition before signing up.

He came on board in May this year, promoted from chief financial officer. That’s an unusual route to take but Simon is adamant he’s no mere bean-counter.  “Any good CFO has to be focused on the strategic, and have participated in all facets of the industry,” he said.

Graduating from the Wharton School, Simon has had 16 years in the media industry. He joined UM in 2006 and moved to the Mediabrands umbrella when it formed in 2008.

As the most senior Mediabrand's leader in Asia, his first job has been to stabilise the network. “The fact that we have’nt had the stability is one of the reasons Campaign Asia ranked us down,” he said. “But that stops here – stability, continuity and leadership are my priorities.”

He says the Mediabrands structure is one of its key strengths. “This is one of the most collaborative group of individuals,” he said of the Mediabrands network. “We don’t have silos in these organisations – it gets in the way of doing good work for our clients.”

For this, the group has a unique pay and reward structure. “We incentivise senior management across the brands and region,” he said, noting bonuses are only given when the network as a whole does well. “They are rewarded on the sum, not the parts.  And there’s not a lot of infighting as a result.”

Simon says those with big egos need not apply; and those that do find themselves on board, are asked to work collaboratively or leave. “I think it works brilliantly,” he said. “Non-team players don’t stick around — there’s not enough time in the day to fight with your sister company.

He also cites certain markets of strength, namely Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. India, where Lodestar UM won a gold Lion at this year’s Cannes festival, is also a key part of the network, he says.

Simon is less keen to talk about weaknesses within the group. Aside from the turnover issue, he does acknowledge both brands are weak in the key market of mainland China. “In China we have some catching up to do,” he admitted. “We’re not the biggest (there) but we're aiming to be the best."

He also suggests the group has not capitalised or communicated its successes as well as it could have. “We’re a global organisation; we have tremendously strong resources; and we need to communicate that better.”

When that happens, he believes the competition will take a lot of notice of both UM and Initiative. “They’ll start to fear us a little bit.”