HONG KONG — Edelman has hired Huw Gildon as chief strategy officer in Asia-Pacific, alongside senior senior creative and strategic appointments across the region. 

Gildon (pictured, centre) will partner with Asia-Pacific chief creative officer Tim Green (pictured, left), the former Leo Burnett creative lead who joined Edelman in Sydney last year. Green has spent the past 12 months developing creative hubs in Shanghai, Singapore and Sydney, reporting to Edelman's global chief creative officer Judy John.

Gildon joins from WPP's RedFuse in Hong Kong, where he was regional strategy director, after previously holding senior planning roles at Ogilvy Hong Kong and Leo Burnett. He reports to global chief strategy officer Lee Maicon. 

In addition, Edelman has hired former McCann Health ECD Wendy Chan (pictured, right) as chief creative officer in China, reporting to Green. Ex-Walmart China marketing director Phyllis Yip has arrived to oversee strategy for Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand, while Nisha Sivanandan continues to lead strategy for Edelman Singapore. Both Yip and Sivanandan now report to Gildon. 

The appointments come after Edelman Australia CEO Michelle Hutton added a regional vice chair remit last year, focusing in particular on integrating creative and strategy with the firm's product mix of corporate, public and brand solutions

"As brands are increasingly expected to take a stand on societal issues and serve as agents of change in their consumers’ lives, earned media has become the new battleground for building trust," said Hutton. "By bringing creative and strategy to the table in addressing our clients’ challenges, independent of structures and siloes, our teams are able to unlock even more powerful ideas and experiences for positioning our clients at the heart of culture and what’s taking place in the world in the moment."

“There has never been a more relevant time for businesses to embrace creativity as a more effective way of solving business challenges," added Green. "By integrating creative thinking into Edelman’s offerings, and letting PR and digital practices bring the creative idea to life, we’re enabling our clients to stand-out as distinct and truly relevant to their audiences."