Robert Sawatzky
Feb 10, 2021

Publicis Media China CEO Cary Huang exits

Leader had only joined Publicis from GroupM one year ago.

Cary Huang
Cary Huang

Cary Huang, CEO of media and digital for Publicis Groupe in China, has stepped down from his role after just one year. In a statement to Campaign Asia-Pacific, the agency network confirmed that "due to family reasons" Huang "has decided to take a break and spend more time with his family." 

Jane Lin-Baden, Publicis Groupe's managing partner for APAC and CEO of North Asia, will take over Huang's responsibilities in the interim.

Huang had been brought in from GroupM in February 2020 to take up a newly created role responsible for all media, digital and commerce brands in China, including Starcom, Zenith, Spark, Performics, Digitas, Publicis Commerce and social agency Publicis WangFan. He reported to Lin-Baden, who at the time said Huang's key priorities would be to integrate and accelerate digital and commerce capabilities and services across all media brands and to better leverage group creative offerings for media clients. She had described Huang as "one of the rare Chinese senior talents who has executive experience of leading both the international and local Chinese listed media groups," experience that was "critical for our future business.”

In the meanwhile, Starcom appointed former PHD China CEO Anna Chitty as its new CEO in China. She will start her new role in March.
 
At GroupM, Huang had been named both China CEO of out-of-home specialist agency Kinectic and CEO of GroupM OOH China in 2019. Prior to that, Huang was CEO of publicly listed Chinese communication group Simei and earlier, the CEO of IPG Mediabrands in China and MD of MediaCom Shanghai.
Source:
Campaign Asia

Related Articles

Just Published

15 hours ago

Agency Report Cards 2024: We grade 25 APAC networks

The grades are in for Campaign Asia's 22nd annual evaluation of APAC agency networks. Subscribe to read our detailed analyses.

16 hours ago

Agency Report Card 2024: Assembly

Assembly successfully pivoted to new sectors like healthcare and achieved B Corp certification. But revenue and operational hurdles must be addressed to solidify its position as a challenger agency.

16 hours ago

Agency Report Card 2024: TBWA

With bold campaigns, record-breaking new business wins, and a near-perfect client retention rate, the agency proved it could lead from the front. Yet, challenges in China and the pressures of rapid growth loom large—testing whether its ‘disruption’ can stand the test of time.

16 hours ago

Agency Report Card 2024: Publicis Media

Publicis Media came in swinging in 2024—snagging big-name clients, racking up awards and riding a wave of regional growth. But with rivals regrouping and the AI race tightening, the fight for APAC dominance is far from over.