WPP Media promotes Rina Marie Simon to APAC influencer, social commerce SVP

WPP Media has promoted Rina Marie Simon (pictured) to senior vice president, influencer and social commerce for APAC, expanding her regional leadership responsibilities across the two increasingly interconnected marketing disciplines.

Based in Singapore, Simon will focus on strengthening the organisation's influencer and social commerce capabilities across Asia Pacific, as brands increasingly look to connect creator-led content with social platforms and commerce opportunities.

Simon brings more than 18 years of experience across media, strategy, content and influencer marketing. Prior to her promotion, she served as head of strategy for APAC at The Goat Agency, part of WPP Media.

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Her career spans several major media and advertising organisations, including GroupM, GroupM Nexus, Havas Media Network, Wavemaker, ABS-CBN Corporation and Starcom.

Across these roles, she has gained experience across multiple markets, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia.

Her appointment comes as influencer marketing and social commerce take on greater importance in brands' digital strategies. In Indonesia, for example, Google found that 90% of Gen Z rely on YouTube creators for purchase recommendations, while its e-Conomy SEA 2025 report recorded 90% year-on-year growth in video commerce transactions, reaching 2.6 billion in 2025.

Earlier this year, WPP Media Malaysia appointed former Carat Malaysia partner and head Vanitha Selvathurai as vice president, clients, under CEO Winnie Chen-Head, who took the helm on 6 May with over 24 years of industry experience. In Australia and New Zealand, WPP Media is expanding its consulting practice under new managing partner Aishwarya Rao, formerly of Accenture Song.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to WPP Media for more information.

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