McCann Japan bolsters leadership with new head of strategy

McCann Erickson Japan has appointed Charlotte Auyeung (pictured) as head of strategy, leading their strategic planning team effective from 1 February 2024. 

Within her new role, Auyeung reports to McCann Japan’s representative director, president, Takashi Aoki. Auyeung will drive the evolution of its product into an even more digitally integrated solution and to lead and nurture the team that delivers it.

Born and raised in Hong Kong and, having lived in Japan for 20 years since 2004, Auyeung has over 20 years of account management and strategic planning experience at global advertising agencies including McCann and Leo Burnett in Hong Kong, Beacon Communications, Naked Communications and TBWA/Hakuhodo in Tokyo, where she led the strategies for companies such as P&G, The Coca-Cola Company, McDonald's, IKEA, Airbnb, H&M, amongst others. 

In 2019, she took on a marketing role at Netflix Japan, where she led campaigns for popular shows including "Stranger Things," "The Naked Director," and "Alice in Borderland." 

Aoki said: "I am very excited to welcome Auyeung to our leadership team. She is the ideal strategist to help us evolve McCann’s one-of-a-kind mission and philosophy in a modern way. She brings the expertise, experience and leadership we need to redefine our digitally-driven integrated solutions to grow our clients’ businesses and accelerate our transformation to become a more innovative agency partner for clients.” 

“I am delighted to welcome Auyeung to the APAC strategy leadership community. Auyeung brings a wealth of strategic experience, building power brands that have shaped culture. She also demonstrates the perfect combination of a thinking and doing growth mindset, a fundamental for strategy leaders of the future. I cannot think of a better person to drive meaningful and effective creativity for our clients”, said Shilpa Sinha, chief strategy officer, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific.  

Auyeung also expressed her excitement for the role, stating: "I’m thrilled to join McCann, whose mission to help brands earn a meaningful role in people’s lives aligns deeply with my own. Alongside our talented strategists and embracing McCann’s philosophy of ‘Truth Well Told’, I am eager to cultivate a team dedicated to uncovering consumer insights and brand stories rooted in truth, crafting strategies that inspire actionable solutions and creative excellence across platforms, growing brand and business for our valued client partners."

Don't miss: IKEA names McCann as global brand marketing partner

Back in September 2023, McCann Worldgroup was appointed by IKEA as its first global brand marketing partner. Meanwhile, the partnership does not affect regional agency partnerships. 

With McCann Worldgroup Spain as its home base, the agency leads IKEA retail for the Ingka Group, which consists of 379 IKEA stores across 31 markets from September 2023, and the outcome of these plans will be visible during Spring 2024. 

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