McCann Worldgroup APAC picks new regional chief strategy officer

McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific has named Shilpa Sinha (pictured) as its new regional Chief Strategy Officer (CSO). Sinha will take the reins from Richard McCabe, who is relocating to Europe.

Sinha moves to Singapore from Europe where she worked for top agencies and brands. An experienced global marketer and strategist, she has worked in major markets such as India, UK, China and Russia, for agencies including Grey, FCB and Ogilvy.

She served as head of strategy and transformation for McCann Moscow before the agency closed its operations in Russia in 2022. Sinha has also held a combination of senior roles in brand management at Unilever and strategic planning leadership at prominent agency networks such as IPG and WPP.

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She has, as a result, garnered rich experiences in building up leader and challenger brands across diverse categories such as beauty and personal care at Unilever, P&G, Beiersdorf and L'Oreal, food and beverage at Mondelez, Coca-Cola and Nestle and luxury automotive in addition to telecom, financial services, retail and entertainment.

“After eight years away, I am excited to be back in vibrant Asia, one of the significant growth engines in the dynamically evolving world order. It's amazing to have the opportunity to move within the McCann Worldgroup family and work on our incredible brands. I'm really looking forward to hitting the ground running”, said Sinha in a statement. 

“McCabe has represented APAC very well on the global stage, not only in many pitches over the past decade, but also by helping other regions learn from the successes in Asia," said Harjot Singh, global CSO of McCann Worldgroup. "Having worked with Sinha for six years, I’m thrilled that she is taking the baton. She has a proven track record in key global markets, including regional powerhouses, China and India, and combines creative smarts with rigour and passion. I can’t think of a better person to help our APAC brands earn a meaningful role in people’s lives.”

Adding on, Ghassan Harfouche, regional president of McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific noted that McCabe demonstrated an "extraordinary" commitment to the region, having been based here for 27 years.

"He’s worked on key clients, including Coca-Cola, Mastercard, Cigna, Pernod Ricard, Nestle and L’Oreal, and has led a vibrant and connected community of strategists. We wish him all the best with his move and thank him for his contributions to the network. I’m so excited to have Sinha move back to our region and know her global experience and emphasis on effectiveness will add significantly to our client work," he said. 

The news comes shortly after McCann Worldgroup bolstered its Southeast Asia leadership team with new appointments, including Charlie Lowe being promoted to the newly-created regional role of chief strategy officer and Aishah Haroon being named the director of client services and operations across MRM Singapore and Hong Kong. Both of them report to McCann Worldgroup SEA's president, Nick Handel.

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