Weber Shandwick strengthens APAC sustainability team with new VP

Weber Shandwick has appointed Marianne Lamonin to the role of executive vice president, social impact and sustainability. Lamonin (pictured) will build and drive the firm’s sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) consulting capabilities in the Asia Pacific region. She will be based in Singapore and report to Vanessa Ho Nikolovski, chief client and growth officer, Asia Pacific. 

Lamonin brings over 15 years of experience to the firm, having previously worked as a liaison for World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and senior advisor for innovation, social responsibility and strategy at EDF, her LinkedIn said.

Lamonin has advised multinational companies in areas relating to climate change, policy and advocacy, sustainability, energy transition, climate finance, industrial policies, and the future of globalisation. She has also overseen the strategic narratives and keynotes at multiple major energy and climate platforms and institutions, including COP, NYC Climate Week, One Planet Summit, San Francisco Climate Summit, Clean Energy Ministerials, and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development.

Lamonin said: “Deep decarbonisation is as much a global concern, necessary to address the climate change challenge, as a local one, with direct impact on national economies as well as people’s livelihoods. With nearly two-thirds of the world’s population, the Asia Pacific region has a multitude of diverse perspectives and realities critical to tackling the many transitions the world is facing.”

She also believes Weber Shandwick to be uniquely placed in making sense of sustainable transitions worldwide. “We have many opportunities in this region to be part of the transformation our clients are going through, helping them with their purpose, and the inclusion of sustainability into their strategy and it is in fact, a very interesting place to contribute to the collective sustainability challenge the world is facing,” Lamonin added.

Meanwhile, CEO of Weber Shandwick APAC, Tyler Kim, said sustainability is a critical strategic business imperative today, and many of the firm's clients in APAC are recognising the need to communicate their sustainability commitments and targets to stakeholders.

“Lamonin has immersed herself in climate, sustainability and consulting for almost two decades, bringing deep knowledge and experience that will extend our global strengths in this space to Asia, where transformation and impact are key,” added Kim. 

On a wider scale, Weber Shandwick’s global sustainability speciality is helmed by a cross-sectional team of social impact specialists rooted in purpose and ESG strategy, as well as experts in corporate reputation, public affairs, employee engagement and consumer marketing. The team is led by Social Impact & Sustainability global lead Paul Massey.

Its past sustainability campaigns include work for Swedish food brand Felix, where the agency created The Climate Store – a pop-up supermarket where the listed ‘price’ of every item was its carbon dioxide equivalent. The concept helped ignite a conversation about the labelling of climate-friendly choices across social media and global news outlets, said the company.

Another campaign was for Flora & Fauna International, where Weber Shandwick sent a letter signed by more than 140 conservation groups to the United Nations Secretary-General in time for the UN Biodiversity Summit, urging member states to collectively commit an initial $500 billon to protect the natural world. FFI spokespeople such as Sir David Attenborough, Dame Judy Dench and Stephen Fry all amplified the message.

Separately, the agency has strengthened its operations team considerably over the past year, having appointed Kim in April 2021, and made several senior promotions across Asia Pacific locations, including Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore last year as well. Most recently, it appointed Blake Hoo as GM of its Malaysia segment, to boost the company’s growth.

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