iProspect hires strategy and product leads for APAC

iProspect has appointed Matthew Schone (pictured left) as APAC chief product officer, and Alex Oakden (pictured right) as APAC head of strategy. Based in Singapore, both regional roles are newly-created to bolster the agency’s product capability and go-to-market strategy across the region.In his new role, Schone will be overseeing product development, adoption and commercialisation across 14 markets in Asia. With in-market experience in China with Walmart and Alibaba, Schone was previously vice president product for Lazada Group (later acquired by Alibaba). He managed its product development capability across the brand/seller experience as well as retail and customer care tools. Schone is also founder and CEO of Schone Digital, an e-commerce holding company, which he started five years ago.Meanwhile, Oakden will be responsible for building future-focused strategies for brands and supporting the development of insights and product go-to market across the region, in his new role. Prior to his appointment, Oakden was client leadership director for APAC in iProspect. He has expertise building brand performance strategies and marrying solutions with data-led infrastructure.He had previously held global digital lead positions with Carat, based in the UK. Whilst at Dentsu Aegis Network, he has led integrated media strategy for brands such as adidas, L’Oréal and VF Corporation. Oakden had also a stint with Omnicom Media Group as digital planner for over a year.Joanna Catalano, CEO iProspect Asia Pacific said that maintaining a dynamic approach to product development and innovation is "imperative" to drive digital transformation for brands."Schone and Oakden bring a wealth of experience beyond performance, which is critical as we continue to redefine our proposition in the digital economy. Together, they will be a strong team to lead product development and go-to-market strategy across our team of 1,000 digital experts in the region," she added. The appointments are effective immediately.