Leo Burnett Shanghai names chief strategy officer

Leo Burnett has appointed Haidong Guan(關海東) as chief strategy officer of Leo Burnett Shanghai.Prior to joining Leo Burnett, Guan worked at several agencies including Grey, McCann, BBH and JWT. He has also been invited to be a special consultant for WPP China and has given lectures on advertising planning.Guan will lead the planning team to build up insight-driven integrated creative solutions for client’s brands, via what the agency calls “HumanKind” creative approach.Angie Wong, managing director of Leo Burnett Shanghai says, “Strategy has been the secret weapon behind many great ideas. The HumanKind strategic approach is also one of our core strengths. As our business grows, we need a strategic catalyst that is taking us to a higher level.”“Haidong is an expert in consumer research and strategic analysis. He believes that great ideas and effective communications originate from a unique insight into the target audience. I believe he will drive our HumanKind philosophy to be acknowledged by more people in and out of Leo Burnett.”He will also be a member of the newly-formed Leo Burnett Shanghai management committee, which also consists of Angie Wong, ECDs Takho Lau and Rocky Hao, and HR and culture director Amy Wu.According to Wong, the new management committee will work on three major areas: flatten its Shanghai office's organisational structure; simplify the working process, and strengthen the collaboration between departments.