Publicis Groupe forms North Asia region led by Jane Lin-Baden

Jane Lin-Baden continues to take on an increasingly larger role at Publicis Groupe in APAC, with the formation of a North Asia region that she will be directly responsible for, effective immediately.

The new area comprises the Greater China markets (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Japan and South Korea. All leadership teams in those markets will now report directly to Lin-Baden who will remain based in Shanghai.  

“North Asia is a critical region for us. I cannot think of a better leader than Jane to take this exciting challenge on," Loris Nold, chief executive of Publicis Groupe APAC & MEA said in a release. "These markets are large in scale, with many well established and emerging global brands while also representing a massive source of innovation with world class talents.”

The move comes roughly a year after Lin-Baden quit Isobar and nine months after she joined Publicis Groupe as APAC managing partner, reporting to the Groupe APAC & MEA CEO Loris Nold, which she continues to do. With Nold having such a broad mandate across two regions, Lin-Baden's role provided more direct leadership support in Asia-Pacific.

When Digitas APAC chief Annette Male left to join Wunderman Thompson earlier this year, Lin-Baden was given special responsibility for guiding Digitas, including an aggressive expansion plan which has already moved into the Middle East. 

Lin-Baden has confirmed to Campaign that along with her North Asia responsibilities she will continue to look after digital brands and operations in APAC including Digitas, along with key global accounts and strategic market expansion. 

“North Asia region presents tremendous opportunities and challenges to brands and business," Lin-Baden said in a release. "We will be single-mindedly client centric. I am thrilled about working with our market leaders to accelerate our growth and innovation through simplicity and integration.”