ASIA-PACIFIC – CHINA/THAILAND, JULY10, 2013 – McCann WorldGroup announced two significant appointments with Martin Lever as the new executive creative director of Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Central Team and Thierry Halbroth to lead Commonwealth in Thailand, McCann’s regional agency hub for General Motor’s Chevrolet business.
With Halbroth’s appointment as ECD, he is expected to craft innovative creative solutions for Chevrolet, primarily for Asia-Pacific countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Japan. He will also head the McCann WorldgroupThailand Creative Council.
McCann Worldgroup Thailand CEOMonica White, said: “Thierry is an excellent addition to our team; he is dynamic, inspirational and has an adept understanding of the Asian consumer and markets, having lived in this part of the world for the last 20 years.”
For seven years, Halbroth served as the global executive creative director for McCann’s Cathay Pacific Central Team, based in Hong Kong. It was under his leadership that the industry recognized Cathay Pacific and McCann for digital creative solutions.
Halbroth will begin his work on July 15, together with his family moving with him to Hong Kong.
"Thierry has been a fabulous partner for the past seven years. I will miss him but I’m thrilled he remains in the McCann family," said Vince Viola, McCann Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific’s Central Team).managing director.
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Former TBWA/UAE executive creative director Lever will take over Halbroth’s position.
"I’m thrilled Martin has accepted the role to join the Cathay Pacific Central Team as we move into an exciting new chapter with CX. The media landscape and platforms we use to tell our brand stories have changed significantly in the last few years. We take much pride in our dedicated team’s ability to create the right stories for the right platform to the right audience," said Viola.
Lever was successful in establishing the agency in the global industry by making TBWA/ UAE as the most awarded agency for 2012, winning gold from Cannes to the Clios, from the One show to D&AD. His work for Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority ‘Be Still’ won the agency’s first Cannes Lion Film and ‘From Abu Dhabi to the World’ campaign as World’s Best Marketing Campaign at the World Travel Awards for 2 years. Among his business wins are Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and twofour54.
Viola continues, "Martin is a ‘master story teller’ and brilliant at telling those stories across truly integrated platforms. He will add enormous value given his past experience, and more importantly, what he has learned and achieved over the last seven years in the UAE."
Prior to TBWA, Lever worked in Hong Kong as the regional creative director McCann APAC multinational account hub based in the country where he managed Intel’s account. He also served as the creative director and copywriter of McCann Hong Kong where he handled accounts of Coca-Cola, Nescafe, Microsoft, XBOX, SONY, HK Airport Authority, PCCW, MasterCard, L’Oreal and Marriott Hotels.
Lever and his family will move to Hong Kong by August as he formally joins the Cathay Team.
“Given my history (21 years living in Hong Kong), Cathay Pacific is a brand dear to my heart, both professionally and personally. To have the chance to help Cathay and McCann tell the next phase of the Cathay story together feels to me like an alignment of the planets. There is much to do in helping drive new revenues, build new loyalties and create new conversations for CX; and it’s a job that I can’t wait to dive into," concluded Lever.
