Benjamin Li
Jan 6, 2012

Racepoint Group bolsters senior leaders in China operations

BEIJING - Racepoint Group has appointed Simon Vericel as its new general manager of its Beijing office, and Shirley Wong-Walker as vice president in Shanghai to oversee the agency’s national healthcare practice.

Simon Vericel steps up as Beijing GM of Racepoint Group
Simon Vericel steps up as Beijing GM of Racepoint Group

Racepoint Group is a global public relations agency, owned by the W2 Group, which was founded by Weber Shandwick founder Larry Weber.

In 2011, it acquired PPR Greater China, turning it in to its Asia headquarters with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore.

Ar Racepoint Group, Vericel (pictured) will report to Andrew Laxton, formerly director of PPR Greater China and now managing director of Racepoint Group Asia, and Tony Turner, chairman. He replaces Ross Hughes who resigned from the company last year.

Vericel was previously account director with Hill & Knowlton Strategies Beijing, where he spent six years managing trans-national accounts for the Chinese Government, state-owned enterprises, and multinationals.

For the last three years, Vericel has been global lead for Haier, developing global corporate communication strategies. He was also a key advisor tothe Beijing Organising Committee of the 2008 Olympics.

Wong-Walker Shirley, a Canadian citizen, previously worked with the Ministry of Health in Canada where she coordinated initiatives on health legislation and government-funded hospital programs.

She has more than 14 years of PR agency experience and has led healthcare practices across the Asia-Pacific Region for MS&L, and more recently in China for Waggener Edstrom and Edelman.

Laxton commented that, “Simon and Shirley will add huge experience and depth to the Racepoint Group management team in China as well as our growing portfolio of technology and healthcare clients.”

Racepoint Group’s IT business-to-business and healthcare client portfolio includes L.L.Bean, Crocs, New Balance,  Mozilla Firefox, CPA Australia, and Cook Medical.

 

Source:
Campaign China

Related Articles

Just Published

1 day ago

Dentsu prioritises media in new growth plan ...

Dentsu has allocated $328 million to rebuild the business in 2025, with a further $295 million to be invested over the next three years.

1 day ago

Creative Minds: Sally Anderson is always asking ...

Meet Australian creative Sally Anderson who moved to Beijing over a decade ago to take on the challenge of shaping a new generation of brands.

1 day ago

OMG taps Dentsu exec for Malaysia CEO position

EXCLUSIVE: Winnie Chen-Head steps into Eileen Ooi's shoes, who was elevated to PHD APAC chief executive in September 2024. Chen-Head’s appointment is effective March 2025.

1 day ago

2025 salary benchmarks: Marketing, creative, comms

MCG Talent unveils its salary benchmarks for industry roles in Hong Kong and Singapore, with junior talent equipped with AI expertise expected to be given more opportunities this year.