Edelman Shanghai appoints new managing director

Edelman has hired Jackie Xu (pictured) as managing director of Edelman Shanghai effective 1 June. Meanwhile, Sanjay Nair, China chief operations officer and managing director of Beijing, is moving to a new role as head of the US tech sector, based out of Edelman’s San Francisco office.Xu takes over from Sonny Shen, former managing director of Edelman Shanghai and SVP of China, who stepped down from the role last December.Xu was the former MullenLowe Profero China managing director. In her new role, she is charged with leading the digital transformation of the entire Edelman agency, including corporate, healthcare and consumer. Based in Shanghai, Xu will report to Jeffrey Yu, president of Edelman China.“We have been extremely selective with finding a leader for our Shanghai team,” said Yu. “Jackie is a best-in-class leader who has the digital portfolio as well as the business proficiency to bring our multi-faceted corporate and consumer PR talents together as we continue our journey into the new world of communications marketing.”Xu is recognised and respected as one of China’s most revered agency leaders with a Profero career that spanned nearly 15 years in senior management roles. She has led and won pitches from the likes of Unilever, Diageo, Unionpay, Fiat, PwC, TongRenTang, Haribo, The Peninsula Hotels and more.Meanwhile, after five years with Edelman China, COO and MD of Beijing, Sanjay Nair will join Edelman US as its new head of the U.S. tech sector.During the 12 years with Edelman, Nair has held the position of chief operating officer for Edelman China since 2012 and managing director for Edelman Beijing since 2014 where he has led the overall business transformation and capabilities inspired by communications marketing.