Burson appoints Adrian Warr as CEO for South APAC

BCW and Hill & Knowlton, which will merge as of 1 July 2024 to form Burson, has appointed Adrian Warr (pictured) as CEO for South Asia-Pacific, effective from 16 September 2024. Meanwhile, Matt Stafford has departed BCW with immediate effect from his role as president, Asia-Pacific.

Within his new role, Warr will cover Burson's business in India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. He will be reporting to Corey duBrowa, Global CEO, BCW, who will hold the same title as Burson upon completion of the merger.

Warr has spent more than two decades at global agencies counseling clients across industries, disciplines and geographies. Before joining BCW, Warr spent the last 10 years with Edelman in a variety of roles in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as head of corporate, Hong Kong; managing director, Hong Kong and Taiwan; CEO, Hong Kong and Taiwan and Thailand; CEO, Southeast Asia; head of employee experience, APAC; and ultimately, vice chair, practices and sectors, APAC.

Prior to Edelman, Warr spent 12 years in London, as a partner with Portland, an associate board director with Freuds Communications, and in a variety of roles in his seven years with Hill & Knowlton.

According to the release, Warr has worked with clients throughout his career. Some brands he had collaborated with include Astra Zeneca, Cathay, Google, Samsung, Coca-Cola, KPMG, Shangri-La, KFC, Pizza Hut, HSBC and American Express.   

“The myriad challenges and opportunities facing clients today could not be more foundational,” said duBrowa. “Warr has considerable experience pairing creativity with innovation to help clients navigate ambiguity and overcome obstacles, all while building their reputations amid extreme geopolitical, social and commercial complexity. This expertise, coupled with his rigorous advocacy for teams and talent, make him exceptionally well-suited to lead our South APAC business."

"Burson is the talk of the town and rightly so, it’s changing the face of the industry, who wouldn’t want a piece of that action? From the complexities of going global to geopolitical upheaval to the challenges of innovating at scale, clients increasingly need the unbridled creative thinking that this agency brings to every brief. The team in South APAC is brimming with world-class talent and I’m honored to be the Burson person leading them,” Warr said.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Burson for more information. 

Don't miss: WPP merges BCW and Hill & Knowlton to form new comms agency Burson

Back in January, WPP announced that it would be merging two of its largest communications agencies, Hill & Knowlton and BCW, to form Burson. It will be a firm that will deliver modern communications leadership at scale to clients across the world, it said in a statement. 

Corey duBrowa, who is currently the global CEO of BCW, has been named global CEO of Burson. Additionally, AnnaMaria DeSalva, who is currently the global chairman and CEO of Hill & Knowlton, has been named global chairman of Burson. Together, they will oversee agency strategy, client service, employee experience and culture.

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