Andres Vejarano steps down from Edelman for regional role with IPG

Andres Vejarano, senior director at Edelman Hong Kong, has stepped down for a new role as regional MD at IPG’s public relations network, DeVries Global, starting April.DeVries Global, headquartered in New York, describes itself as a public relations micro-network with offices in Beijing, Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai and London.As regional MD, Vejarano will oversee a team of about 100 people working primarily on the Proctor & Gamble business. He will provide regional oversight across all of Asia and have responsibility for fueling the agency’s growth in existing and new markets.Vejarano will report directly to DeVries Global CEO Heidi Hovland and will work closely with CMG China Chairman, David Liu.Vejarano spent more than six years with Edelman leading global communications for Tencent and ZTE in addition to key clients from Starbucks to Ikea, Pernod Ricard, Diesel, Rosewood Hotels, Sands Resorts and Dairy Farm, Shell, Wrigley and Microsoft.His departure is the second senior move in the last three months for Edelman Hong Kong, after former MD Andrew Kirk left the agency in late November after nine years. Kirk has since resurfaced at Edelman’s Sydney office as a senior advisor.While the hunt for a new MD continues, Adrian Warr will lead Edelman Hong Kong with support from Bob Grove, CEO of Edelman North Asia.“Our Asia operations are a center of excellence for influencer communications and creative sales-driving integrated campaigns,” said Heidi Hovland, CEO of DeVries Global.“Andres’s track record of building teams and business and his understanding of what clients need today and tomorrow are exactly what we’ve been looking for. We are poised for tremendous growth across Asia, and I’m confident Andres’s talents, energy and appetite will get us where we want to go in this dynamic and fast-moving region.”Grove added that Vejarano has had a terrific six years at Edelman.“He has helped drive our transformation to a multi-disciplinary and multi-channel communications and marketing agency while grooming a strong set of leaders across his teams. Andres has long been and will always remain a good friend of Edelman and I am sure he will be successful in his new role.”