Melanie Cook joins SapientNitro APAC as head of strategy for Singapore and Hong Kong

Cook (pictured) left Saatchi last Friday. Working out of the the Singapore office, she will report to Kim Douglas, managing director, and will lead strategic development of all the agency’s clients, including Unilever, MetLife, Moët and EYS, as well as global clients Citibank and Coca-Cola. She will also oversee the development and growth of the strategy team in APAC.

Cook, who is of Malaysian and Guyanese descent, was born in the UK and moved around a lot when young as her mother also worked in the ad industry. She brings with her more than 15 years of agency experience in both the UK and Asia, working with multinational clients including P&G, Unilever, Tesco, Lenovo, Toyota and Lexus. She also ran her own ski chalet in the French Alps for six years, where she learned the importance of content and Google advertising.

In a telephone interview with Campaign Asia-Pacific, Cook explained her move, pointing out that SapientNitro is enjoying double-digit growth thanks to its strong history in IT and business consultancy. Andy Greenway, regional creative officer of the agency, told her that “if you could think of the idea, Sapient could act on the idea and build it”, she added.

“In the digital world, it is great having amazing ideas to connect brands with people, but it is even better to act on it,” she said, adding that she sees the world as an ecosystem interconnected by shared experiences, which the agency has the creativity and expertise to create.

“What struck me about [Cook] was her ambitious and creative thinking, supported in parallel by a keen analytical viewpoint—not something most folks have in balance.” Douglas said.