These were the region's most captivating CMO moves in 2024

The marketing industry is a whirlwind of innovation and change, and 2024 has been no exception. From artificial intelligence and machine learning, unexpected collaborations and rebrands, as well as the fake out of home advertisements that have dominated our screens, the year has truly been a noteworthy one. 

That said, the industry is not without its people who are making the moves behind every strategy that eventually make headlines. As the year draws to a close, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE looks back at some of the most significant CMO appointments and departures that have garnered industry attention.

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1. Baskin Robbins MY and SG nabs Loob Holding's chief marketing and digital officer Ng Yau Chuan

Golden Scoop appointed Ng Yau Chuan as chief executive officer (CEO) of Baskin Robbins Malaysia and Singapore, he told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE in October 2024. 

As CEO, Ng brings a fresh perspective to the ice cream brand and elevate Baskin Robbins to greater heights. At the same time, he oversees the brand in Malaysia and Singapore and is based in Malaysia. Ng took over the role from Charmaine Cheah and Cheah Jia Ming, who are son and daughter of See Yeong Cheah. See originally brought the franchise to Malaysia in 1988. 

Prior to becoming Baskin Robbins' CEO, Ng was the chief marketing and digital officer at Loob Holding. In conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Ng said his proudest moments at Loob Holding includes "building an A class, agile team that successfully lead a re-branding launch for both Tealive and Bask Bear".

Read more here. 

2. AirAsia MOVE onboards Ravi Shankar as new CMO

Earlier in May, AirAsia MOVE (formerly AirAsia superapp), onboarded marketing veteran Ravi Shankar as its new chief marketing officer, according to Shankar when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. In his new role, Shankar manages the branding, marketing and data and growth teams. 

This is also the second time that Shankar has been with AirAsia. He first joined AirAsia in January 2017 as its group head of digital marketing for two years. In January 2019, Shankar took on the role of group head of digital marketing and analytics for close to two years. Before Shankar exited AirAsia, he helmed the role of chief growth officer for more than a year. 

Read more here. 

3. UEM Sunrise names Emily Teh as CMO as Kenny Wong departs after six years

UEM Sunrise appointed Emily Teh (pictured left) as its new chief marketing officer in July this year. As CMO, Teh leads UEM Sunrise's marketing strategies and execution of the company's strategic turnaround plan.

Prior to joining UEM Sunrise, Teh was the director of property and project investments at Eastern & Oriental for 13 years from 2010 to 2023. Teh was instrumental in several key developments, including the launch of Pulau Andaman township in Penang where she achieved gross development value close to RM700 million upon. This is on top of overseeing other notable projects during her tenure, added the statement. 

Teh's appointment came as Kenny Wong (pictured right) stepped down after six years at the developer. Wong's last day was 30 June 2024. As UEM Sunrise's chief marketing officer, Wong transformed the brand's marketing into a digitally driven one and delivered enhanced marketing effectiveness through significant enhancements of the corporate website from an informational to a transactional website.

Read more here. 

4. Abbot nabs KFC Malaysia's CMO Premnath Unnikrishnan

Earlier in May this year, global healthcare firm Abbott appointed Premnath Unnikrishnan as its head of digital marketing and consumer connections for Malaysia. Unnikrishnan has over 14 years of experience in digital marketing and eCommerce. Prior to his new appointment, Unnikrishnan was the chief marketing officer of KFC Malaysia.

During his stint at QSR Brands, he also served as head of MarTech, digital strategy and e-wallets head of digital projects. He first joined QSR Brands in 2020 as the head of digital, eCommerce and retention at Pizza Hut Malaysia. Before joining QSR Brands, he was head of digital at Havas Media Group Malaysia, head of digital marketing at Lyca Digital and digital regional head for MEC Interaction, Group M. 

Read more here. 

5. McDonald's names Angelina Villanueva as regional CMO for its Asia business unit 

McDonald’s hired Angelina Villanueva as regional CMO of its Asia business unit in August this year. Last at Yum Singapore as director, Villanueva has over 20 years of experience in brand and marketing management, spanning diverse sectors such as retail, FMCG, and media.

As regional CMO, Villanueva oversees marketing for 12 markets across Asia, including Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei and India.

Villanueva reports to head of Asia Stijn Heytens for all commercial matters, and Eugene Lee, international CMO of McDonald's, on functional matters such as marketing, digital and menu. 

Read more here. 

6. Yum! Brands' Kaye Yu joins Jollibee as CMO 

In September, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) appointed Kate Yu as its chief marketing officer. She is based in the Philippines.

Prior to joining Jollibee, Yu served as chief marketing officer at Yum! Brands, the owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, according to her LinkedIn. She was in charge with the remit of delivering a relevant, easy, and distinctive customer experience across 10 countries in partnership with franchisees.

Before her time at Yum! Brands, Yu helmed the role of vice president of client capability at Accenture, where she focused on driving digital transformation for multinational corporations in sectors such as FMCG, F&B, pharma, and travel/tourism, to improve marketing effectiveness, CX, data monetisation, and lift enterprise-wide marketing capability, according to her LinkedIn. 

Read more here.

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