ASIA PACIFIC – November 14, 2013 – Mike Rich has taken on the expanded role of CEO for GroupM Content Asia, pulling together the company’s areas of content, sports and its Hollywood movie business in China, GroupM said in a press release.
Rich has been running GroupM ESP (Entertainment Sports & Partnerships) in the region since 2004, growing the business into 13 markets with more than 300 staff.
GroupM ESP counts Unilever, Ford, PepsiCo, P&G, Shell and Nestle as top clients around the region.
His new role at GroupM Content reflects an expansion of ESP across Asia to oversee GroupM’s content financing business GME, and its Hollywood movie business Filmworks, in addition to a new sports consulting business.
“Mike and I both feel that Content is a clearer proposition to the multitude of businesses and partners that Mike comes into contact with as he builds on several years of outstanding success in the region,” Mark Patterson, GroupM Asia Pacific CEO, said.
Rich added that content, in its many forms, was now an integral part of its business. “I’m delighted that the group has had the vision to create this new role, which should benefit our clients and partners alike.”
On the local front, the ESP Philippines business was established six years ago and has now grown to a team of over 10 content & activation specialists headed locally by Manny Tonogbanua and overseen by ESP Asia Chief Operating Officer, Josh Black. Among numerous other local and international clients, a dedicated ESP team sits within Mindshare and looks after Gatorade’s sports marketing, consumer education, social & digital media engagement programs which have won several internal PepsiCo awards for the outstanding work delivered.
Black added, “We have a solid GroupM ESP team in Manila headed by Manny delivering fully integrated branded content & activation programs to a large number of GroupM clients that keep coming back for more. I am really excited with our plans for growth in 2014 which will see us continue to expand our offer, build stronger partnerships and push deeper into integrating everything we do with our media buying teams and digital media group.”
