Burson Cohn & Wolfe makes two key APAC appointments

Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) has made two appointments to management. 

Polka Yu (pictured left) has been appointed as deputy to the APAC president. In her expanded role, she is responsible for the oversight of BCW’s Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia markets, while also working with president Matt Stafford to implement the next phase of BCW’s three-year growth strategy in APAC built around investments in creative technology, research, and content production, leveraging the agency’s leadership in reputation management, Asia-based multinational corporation, and the information and communications technology, consumer and healthcare sectors.

“Our efforts to bring together the best industry talents to tell powerful and precise stories that move people on behalf of our clients, deliver impressive business results despite the COVID-19 disruption, and innovate to set new standards for the future of communications have paid off. But there is still much to do, and I am beyond thrilled to be part of the driving force in this next chapter," she added.

Yu has worked for a decade in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, helping multinational corporations with their China campaigns. After relocating to Hong Kong from China in 2014, she shifted her focus to supporting Chinese companies with their going-global strategies. Since 2018, she has led BCW’s regional integrated communications practice that used insights and creative technology to develop compelling campaigns.

Meanwhile, Joe Peng (pictured right) has been appointed as chief digital officer, BCW APAC. He spearheads the optimisation of the region’s core digital innovation backbone, including establishing new digital platforms of excellence around data analytics and AI.

Over the past 15 years, Peng has delivered digital media campaigns for clients across industries including aviation, computer, cosmetics, education, entertainment, finance, semiconductor, and manufacturing.

“Together with their fantastic teams, both Yu and Peng have played critical roles in our company’s evolution to a truly integrated and digital innovation agency in this region. This transformation was a key contributor to the strong growth BCW has delivered in Asia-Pacific over the past three years," commented Stafford. 

Related articles

Burson Cohn & Wolfe names SG MD and APAC integrated comms director