McDonald's names new regional CMO for its Asia business unit

McDonald’s has hired Angelina Villanueva as regional CMO of its Asia business unit, effective from 1 September 2024. Last at Yum Singapore as director, Villanueva has over 20 years of experience in brand and marketing management, spanning diverse sectors such as retail, FMCG, and media.

As regional CMO, Villanueva will oversee marketing for 12 markets across Asia, including Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei and India. Her main role will be to continue to elevate the levels of creativity across Asia, drive business performance through a strong focus on value for money, chicken and digital.

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In the new role, Villanueva will be reporting to head of Asia Stijn Heytens for all commercial matters, and Eugene Lee, international CMO of McDonald's, on functional matters such as marketing, digital and menu.

“I am extremely excited to be working with Villanueva. She is a well-respected industry peer and rival during my time in Malaysia, but now we get the chance to join forces and work closely together to do cool stuff for the region,” said Lee in a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

Villanueva left her CMO role at KFC Malaysia five and a half years in 2021 to take on a director role at Yum Singapore, where she’s been at for the past three years.

During her time at KFC, Villanueva (pictured) was responsible for marketing initiatives including creating Malaysia Day murals to express love for the country, a music-parody video to show how much its customers are missed during the Movement Control Order, as well as a digital cookbook as part of its social-led #KepciKitchen campaign last year.

Her core competencies include integrated marketing, marketing communications, advertising, and brand management. Villanueva is also passionate about creating and delivering innovative and impactful marketing campaigns that drive business results and customer loyalty.

"I am thrilled to step into this role at such a pivotal time for our industry. My goal is to build on the strong foundation that has already been established and work collaboratively with each market to further elevate the brand in the region, as we navigate the evolving consumer landscape,” Villanueva said. 

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