Edelman names new APAC CEO as Jesse Lin exits

Edelman’s APAC CEO Jesse Lin (pictured left) is leaving the agency on 1 July for family reasons. Replacing him is Stephen Kehoe (pictured right), chair, global practices, sectors and IP at Edelman US, who will report to global COO Matthew Harrington.Edelman’s spokesperson confirmed the move to Marketing, adding that under Lin’s leadership, profit margin across Asia Pacific markets doubled year-on-year and China returned to strong double-digit growth.Prior to joining Edelman, Lin led McCann Worldgroup in April 2012 as Greater China CEO and in 2015, his role was expanded to drive accelerated growth in Asia Pacific. He also assumed additional responsibilities as vice chairman of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific and chairman of MRM//McCann Asia Pacific. Lin has over 20 years of experience in marketing, digital marketing and communications. He also worked at Leo Burnett Interactive Taiwan, W+K China and DDB Shanghai.Meanwhile according to Edelman’s spokesperson, Kehoe has “the perfect skillset” to drive the evolution of the agency in the region based on his past experience in Asia Pacific, what he has accomplished and the impact he has had with clients during his time at Edelman.Kehoe had prior success working in the region as head of corporate communications for Visa’s markets in Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, based in Singapore, the spokesperson said. “In just over 18 months, Stephen has had an enormous impact on Edelman overseeing two of the most successful launches of the Edelman Trust Barometer. He is a valued and trusted adviser to clients, and his global experience and hands-on style have made him a welcome addition to our account and management teams,” the spokesperson added.Kehoe has 25 years of international communications and reputation management. Before joining Edelman and Visa, he was with PepsiCo in New York where he led global public policy, communications and government relations campaigns as vice president, government affairs and public policy. He also worked at Weber Shandwick and APCO.