Matt Ware steps up as IPG Mediabrands' Japan CEO

IPG Mediabrands has appointed Matt Ware (pictured) as CEO of IPG Mediabrands Japan. The announcement comes following the departure of Koichi Sonoda prior CEO of Japan of five years.

Ware has relocated from Singapore to Tokyo to take on the new role, which is effective immediately, reporting to Leigh Terry, CEO IPG Mediabrands APAC. The new APAC CEO for KINESSO is to be announced.

In his new role, Ware will lead the IPG Mediabrands Japan network, guiding advertisers to optimise their media investments for real business outcomes.

Previously APAC CEO of KINESSO, the IPG Mediabrands’ tech-driven performance agency, where he led over 1,000 digital experts across 11 markets engaged in digital media, marketing automation, advanced analytics, commerce, and AI; Ware brings 15 years of specialised digital marketing experience, including 11 years within the Asia-Pacific region and over five years in Japan.

Originally from the UK, Matt commenced his professional journey in Barcelona at Spain's official Futures and Options exchange, gaining firsthand experience of how data, technology, and platforms were revolutionising finance. Inspired by this experience, he returned to London and embarked on his digital advertising career, working at Conversant and later eBay.

In 2009, Matt was relocated to the APAC region, focusing on establishing the APAC headquarters for US ad technology companies such as Conversant and MediaMath. Transitioning from ad tech to the agency side in 2015, he assumed various leadership roles within WPP and IPG, catering to diverse verticals and serving some of global advertisers, including The Coca-Cola Company, P&G, Dyson, Amazon, Dell, Spotify, BMW, amongst others.

Between 2018 and 2021, Matt was based in Tokyo and held the position of Japan managing director for Xaxis, WPP's digital activation unit.

“With his depth of digital expertise and hands-on local market knowledge and insight, Matt was the natural choice to propel our positioning forward in the Japan market,” said Leigh Terry, CEO IPG Mediabrands.

“I’m incredibly excited for this next stage of growth and evolution of the IPG Mediabrands Japan network under Matt’s leadership.” Matt Ware said, “I am thrilled to be taking up the Japan leadership role and excited to be returning to a market that I'm passionate about.”

“Having worked in APAC for 15 years, Japan has always been a special place for me; full of innovation, excitement, and global players but also a robust and vibrant domestic tech scene. It's a fascinating time to be working in advertising in Japan and I'm delighted to be back,” he added.

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