Move and win roundup: Week of June 16, 2025

Clemenger BBDO has appointed Stephen de Wolf as national chief creative officer. De Wolf was most recently chief creative officer at BMF. He returns to the agency where he produced some of the most defining work of his career. Upon the departure, Stephen McArdle, CEO of BMF, said in a statement: “Wolfie is a great creative leader who has helped us maintain the positive momentum we’ve built up at BMF in his short time with us. We’re disappointed he won’t be here to write the next chapter, but we wish him nothing but the best, as he takes on the challenge at Clemenger in three months’ time. Before BMF, he also served as national CCO of DDB Group Australia and CCO of BBH London.

Les Timar, CEO of Clemenger Group, has announced that he will step down at the end of the month, concluding 27 years with the company. Timar initially joined Clemenger Group in 1998 when it acquired a majority stake in his company, GRACosway. He was appointed CEO in 2021. Clemenger Group’s agencies include Clemenger BBDO, Colenso BBDO, Porter Novelli, and Redhanded, among others. Omnicom Group announced on Monday that it plans a full buyout of Clemenger Group. Industry reports indicate that Nick Garrett, a former Clemenger BBDO and Colenso BBDO CEO who now works at Deloitte Digital, is tipped to lead this combined Omnicom Media Group and Omnicom Advertising Group in Oceania. Earlier in June, Clemenger Group’s long-serving chairman, Robert Morgan, announced his retirement, effective at the end of June.

Toni Ruotanen has joined Havas as head of ecommerce, Southeast Asia. He’ll be leading efforts to empower brands to navigate the dynamic world of digital commerce. Before joining Havas, he was chief client officer of CREA, an e-Distributor. Prior to that, he was director of advertising & partnerships for APAC at Foodpanda. Earlier in his career,  Ruotanen worked at GroupM and Lazada in Singapore and Thailand. 

Dentsu Creative has been appointed as the creative agency of record for Chery Motors in Australia, following a competitive pitch. In contrast, Zeno Group has been appointed as its PR agency partner. Dentsu Creative will help accelerate Chery’s local expansion plans with new vehicles to launch and a growing dealership network. The Chinese automotive brand was founded in 1997.  

Tilt, a Singapore-based creative and media agency, a subsidiary of HM International Holdings Limited, has been appointed by the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) to lead the recruitment marketing and advertising campaign services for 2025, following a competitive pitch. The scope of Tilt’s mandate includes full-service branding, communications, and integrated media strategy, with a focus on compelling storytelling, creative development, and multichannel activation across print, digital, and social platforms.

WPP has appointed Sharon Ho as managing director, delivery and client transformation in China. She will oversee WPP’s recently opened Operations and Delivery Hub in Wuxi and report to Chris Reitermann, WPP President in China. With over 15 years of experience transforming businesses and building high-performing teams, before joining WPP, Ho was most recently the China CEO at IPG’s Initiative and was responsible for launching Digitas in China as managing director at Publicis. Earlier in her career, she worked at Publicis Sapient and BBDO and Proximity China. Ho was named as one of Campaign’s Women to Watch in 2022. In July 2024, WPP launched its Operations and Delivery Hub in Wuxi to accelerate its transformation. 

Bastion, an independent agency, has appointed Anna Cherry as managing director of Bastion Media Australia. She will oversee the media expansion and lead strategy, client relationships, and team development across the region. Before joining Bastion, she was the chief media officer of Clemenger BBDO. Prior to that, she held senior strategy roles in media agencies including PHD, Spark Foundry, and Dentsu. Bastion launched Bastion Media last December. Cherry was one of the winners of Campaign’s Women to Watch APAC in 2022.

Edelman Australia's chief client officer and former acting country manager, Amber Scotto Di Pert, is exiting the agency. She joined Edelman almost ten years ago in April 2016 as a director. She shared a post on LinkedIn about her departure last weekend. She wrote in the post that she doesn’t yet know what her “next chapter” entails, but is excited “for the future and what that may hold”.