PHD appoints new regional head of strategy

PHD has appointed Chris Stephenson, head of strategy at PHD Australia to the newly created position of regional (APAC) head of strategy and planning from March 2015.In his new role, Stephenson (pictured) will lead and grow the capabilities of PHD’s global communications panning unit based out of Singapore. Reporting to Susana Tsui, APAC CEO PHD, Stephenson will strengthen PHD’s strategy counsel to clients across the region.In a career spanning over 15 years in media agencies, Stephenson has actively engaged brands across all verticals, built and nurtured strategy teams, led the industry through thought leadership and collaborated to design SOURCE, PHD’s operating system; a gamified collaboration engine which facilitates idea generation and innovation.“A key part of his new role will be to put the spotlight on Asia in the global planning roadmap via the Global Planning Unit (GPU). It’s a planning centre of excellence that helps global and regional clients to break new grounds in consumer engagement,” said Tsui. She added that he will also work with local markets to elevate PHD's strategic offering and ensure integration across multiple media disciplines.“The appointment is a clear sign that PHD is keen to solidify its position as a communications thought leader,” said, Cheuk Chiang, APAC CEO, Omnicom Media Group. “PHD has always been known as the ‘planner’s agency’ and appointing senior leadership of Chris’ calibre will only further strengthen the brand’s strategic firepower.”