Angelina Villanueva takes on regional role with KFC Asia

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KFC Malaysia's former CMO Angelina Villanueva has taken on the marketing director role at KFC Asia under franchisor Yum! Brands, according to an internal note seen by A+M. It is also understood that Villanueva will report to CMO Annabel Fribence and she will oversee markets including Singapore and Malaysia. A+M has reached out to KFC Asia and Villanueva for comment.

Prior to this regional role, Villanueva spent over five years as CMO with KFC Malaysia under franchisee QSR Brands. Her time at KFC Malaysia involved several creative initiatives, such as Malaysia Day murals, a music-parody video during the Movement Control Order, 12 different ads to celebrate the 13 states of Malaysia, as well as a digital cookbook for its social-led #KepciKitchen.

Villanueva also worked at Star Media Group as senior GM, group marketing and corporate communication for four years, her LinkedIn said. She also has experience on the agency side, having worked at Ogilvy for nearly 18 years, starting her journey as account director in Singapore before working her way up as business unit director, group talent director, and GM based in Kuala Lumpur.

Villanueva told A+M previously in an interview for The Futurist that while technology is a relentless driving force, marketers' reason for being is still to build brands that matter and mean something to consumers. "People buy into experiences and emotions and customer decisions are a result of how they feel about brands rather than a more deliberate, linear and rational mental process. The reality is consumers don’t really care if a brand ceases to exist, let alone look out for campaigns from brands," she explained.