Edelman bolsters Greater China team, sets eyes on GBA biz

Edelman has added talent to its Greater China leadership team, bringing onboard a new chief digital officer, a head of corporate and a head of the technology sector.

Justin Teo comes onboard as Edelman’s chief digital officer for China, tasked with elevating the firm’s agenda for digital transformation, building up key capabilities in social commerce, performance optimisation, B2B demand generation and content production.

Teo brings over 20 years of digital experience, having worked with various players - from start-ups as an entrepreneur, consultancies and the large advertising networks - across Greater China’s digital marketing landscape. He joins Edelman from VMLY&R commerce (previously Geometry) where he served as chief digital officer for China, responsible for accelerating growth of the agency’s digital practice.

Speaking on his new role, Teo said: “To win in the China market and compete at the speed of digital, trust plays a critical role. As the experts in studying trust and advising clients on how to develop and safeguard it, Edelman is strongly placed to help clients win big in an increasingly digital world.”

Nelson Ren joins the firm as its new head of corporate for China and managing director for the Shanghai office. He joins Edelman from Essilor, where he was head of communications, and brings over 20 years of communications experience to his new role. Ren has gained extensive corporate experience through in-house communications roles for companies such as MetLife China, General Motors and DuPont China. He has also served in agency leadership roles at Hill & Knowlton Strategies and Shunya Total Communication Group.

Ren said: “I believe communicators write the first draft of history. In a world flooded with uncertainties, communications can and should play the vital role of engaging and building trust. Edelman is a world leader in building meaningful connections and narratives that help organisations navigate complex environments.  I am excited to be joining a team of dynamic communications experts in breaking new ground and exploring new horizons.”

Edelman has also strengthened its offering for the rapidly growing technology sector across the Greater Bay area, appointing Mark Pinner as the firm’s new head of technology sector for Greater China. In this capacity, he will also serve as part of Edelman’s global Tech Centre of Excellence, exploring Tech intersections with sectors like health, finance and energy, among others. Having lived in China for over 16 years, Pinner’s career has focused on advising corporate clients, particularly those in the tech sector, on Chinese inbound and outbound investments. He joins Edelman from public affairs consultancy Interel where he was managing director for China, and his previous roles include helping Chinese brand Lenovo with its international expansion.

 “The tech industry in Greater China is an exciting and fast-growing one; it has the potential to improve the lives of people in this market and around the world. I look forward to being a part of this growth journey with the rest of our growing team,” said Pinner.

All three new hires will report into Mark Wang, CEO of China.  The latest arrivals complete a string of appointments for the firm in China over the last two months, starting with Pully Chau coming onboard as president for Greater China, Wendy Chan joining as China chief creative officer and Cici Wang taking on the role of head of HR for China.

Meanwhile, Edelman Asia Pacific also recently hired former Leo Burnett creative lead Tim Green  as chief creative officer for the Asia Pacific region. In this newly created role, he will be responsible for “injecting creative thinking into every practice and sector, across every communications brief”, according to the  agency. He joined Edelman last year from M&C Saatchi Australia, where he held the position creative director for more than two years from 2016, as stated on his LinkedIn profile. Over the past year, Edelman said that he has helped establish hubs of creative talent in Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney. 

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