'NewCo' pieces North Asia team together

Masako Wakana will be director of the newly-combined MEC and Maxus 'NewCo' agency in Japan. She will report to Linda Lee, chief client officer of GroupM Japan.

Wakana-san has been director of Maxus Japan since August 2014, serving key accounts such as Shiseido. She holds over two decades of experience in the industry.

Separately, Stanley Ngai, MD of Maxus Hong Kong, will take on the role of MD of the newly-combined 'NewCo' agency in Hong Kong when it launches in January 2018. He will lead a new management team which will include key personnel from both Maxus Hong Kong and MEC Hong Kong.

Ngai has been managing Maxus Hong Kong since January 2015. Prior to that, he was the general manager at the same agency for five years, serving accounts such as PrimeCredit and PCCW and winning new clients such as Swatch. In total, he has been with GroupM for over 10 years, having first joined Mediacom.

Within Greater China, 'NewCo' one week ago also named Gordon Domlija, the current CEO of MEC China, as its China chief. In Southeast Asia, the 'NewCo' leadership team has also been slowly taking shape.