McCann Worldgroup hires regional business director on Mastercard account

McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific has appointed Chris Galea as its new regional business director on Mastercard. The network is Mastercard’s global (and regional) lead creative agency.Galea joins from TBWA, where he held the position of global brand leader on Standard Chartered Bank for the past 14 years. Having lived in Asia for over 20 years, Galea has built his career around two pillars - major global brands (Ribena, Horlicks, Aquafresh, Adidas, LG, Absolut, Barclays) and network agencies (including DDB, Grey, TBWA) – an experience that spans over 70 countries.He succeeds Alex Baker, who is moving within McCann Worldgroup to another role based in London, after four years in Singapore. Charles Cadell, president, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific said: “Galea’s significant experience of the financial services sector and knowledge of Asia will be an enormous asset to the team and will help us deliver Mastercard’s ambitious growth agenda across the region.”Galea added: “I am really delighted to be joining McCann Worldgroup. The opportunity to be part of one of the world’s best and most awarded agency networks working with such an iconic global brand is hugely exciting. Mastercard is operating at the very leading edge of technology to fulfil its commitment to rise above a core payment platform and play a meaningful role in people’s lives. That is a massive and inspiring ambition, and I’m looking forward to helping drive it forward with the great team at McCann.”Galeawill report to Cadell and will focus exclusively on MasterCard.