Carat names planning director for China

China – Carat veteran Jake Vander Linden has moved to take over the role of communications planning director for China, the role vacated by Seth Grossman who was appointed MD of Carat Eastern China.

Vander Linden has worked in the industry for more than 12 years, spending the last eight years of his career with Carat, first in the US where he led the overall development of communications planning on accounts such as P&G and Pfizer's Consumer Healthcare unit and then Carat Philippines.

"Jake has successfully evolved the Philippines team from a traditional media planning service model to strategic and communications planning," Michelle Lau, managing director of Carat China, said.

Vander Linden said it was an "exceptionally interesting" time culturally and commercially to make the move to China.

"The global economic crisis is adding even more complexity to the challenges and opportunities marketers face here and I look forward to helping our clients navigate this territory."