Maja Pawinska Sims 05 Aug 2021 // 2:48PM GMT
BEIJING — Edelman has completed its leadership lineup in China, hiring a head of corporate, head of technology, and a new chief digital officer.
The latest arrivals, all in newly-created roles, complete a string of appointments for the firm in China over the last two months, with Pully Chau coming onboard as president for Greater China, Wendy Chan joining as China chief creative officer and Cici Wang taking on the role of head of HR for China.
Justin Teo comes on board as Edelman’s chief digital officer for China, tasked with elevating the firm’s agenda for digital transformation, building up key capabilities in social commerce, performance optimisation, B2B demand generation and content production.
Teo joins Edelman from VMLY&R Commerce (previously Geometry) where he served as chief digital officer for China, responsible for accelerating growth of the agency’s digital practice.
Nelson Ren joins the firm – which now has 260 employees in China – as its new head of corporate for China and MD of the Shanghai office. He joins Edelman from Essilor, where he was head of communications. Having started his career as a journalist, Ren has gained corporate experience through in-house roles for companies such as MetLife China, General Motors and DuPont China, as well as serving in agency leadership roles at Hill+Knowlton Strategies and Shunya Total Communication Group.
Edelman has also strengthened its offering for the technology sector across the Greater Bay area, appointing Mark Pinner as the firm’s new head of technology for Greater China. He will also serve as part of Edelman’s global Tech Centre of Excellence, exploring technology’s intersections with sectors such as health, finance and energy.
Pinner joins Edelman from public affairs consultancy Interel, where he was managing director for China. His previous roles include helping Chinese brand Lenovo with its international expansion.
All three new hires will report into Mark Wang, CEO of China, who said: “With these appointments, we are enhancing our focus on the growth of key sectors like technology and strengthening our core competency in corporate Rrputation. Digital will continue to enhance our efforts in every area of our business. With their extensive experience and expertise, Mark, Nelson and Justin will be key growth drivers for Edelman in China.”