Essence APAC CEO hunt on as Kyoko Matsushita takes global role

Essence APAC CEO Kyoko Matsushita has been appointed as the data and measurement-driven media agency’s global chief client officer, according to a press release. She will be responsible for evolving and nurturing Essence’s global client services practice, overseeing quality of work, boosting organic account growth, and collaborating on new business initiatives.While transitioning into her new role, Matsushita will continue to oversee the region for the agency. In a statement to Marketing, global CEO of Essence Christian Juhl said, “We’re currently talking to a range of great candidates inside and outside of Essence to take over for Kyoko as APAC CEO and expect to name a replacement in the coming weeks.”Juhl added that Matsushita’s outstanding business and client leadership during her time at Essence makes her “perfect” to take the agency’s client services teams to the next stage. Also, her experience working across media, creative, and marketing will continue to be extremely critical in helping clients solve increasingly complex marketing challenges, he said.Matsushita will be a new addition to Essence’s global leadership team, alongside Juhl, as well as chief operating officer Steve Williams, chief talent officer Jennifer Remling, chief strategy officer Damian Blackden, and chief of product operations Rich Mooney.“Essence’s client centricity is what has helped us develop such a compelling offering in the marketplace. Because our teams are deeply involved in the evolution of our product offering, we’re able to adapt our services and processes to meet changes in our clients’ needs more quickly,” said Matsushita.Matsushita first joined Essence in 2014 to lead the APAC region for the agency. Over the last five years, she has driven the expansion of Essence’s business across APAC and overseen the establishment of offices in Bengaluru, Delhi, Jakarta, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.Prior to Essence, Matsushita led client-side marketing teams at companies including Electronic Arts and Sony. She has more than two decades’ experience overseeing media, marketing, business development and operations across EMEA and APAC.Read more:Essence APAC CEO on why expansion into Malaysia is not yet on the cardsEssence APAC CEO shares agency’s ‘bullish’ plans on Indonesia growth