Global media, advertising technology and consumer insights company Rakuten Advertising has appointed Stuart McLennan to the position of senior vice president of APAC.
In the newly created role, McLennan will be responsible for leading the Rakuten Advertising business across the Asia-Pacific region including Australia and New Zealand.
The role is part of the international leadership team reporting into managing director of international Anthony Capano.
“Stuart is an exceptional leader, something demonstrated admirably by his global success within the industry,” Capano says.
“Rakuten Advertising continues to see exceptional growth across the APAC region, based on a combination of our unique assets and outstanding team. Hiring someone of Stuart’s calibre at this time is a great demonstration of our desire to continue this momentum, and focus on delivering growth for our customers.”
McLennan previously spent nearly a decade with Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) in the UK and across Asia in senior management positions, most recently as APAC media and performance lead.
Commenting on his appointment McLennan told AdNews that Rakuten has been on his radar since 2010 when he first moved to the region.
“During my time at iProspect [part of DAN] we worked with some of APAC’s major platforms to create an e-commerce solution,” McLennan says.
“Rakuten quickly became a key partner in this project so when the opportunity to move to such a fantastic company came up, it was one I felt I had to explore.
“Also, the company’s ambition is extremely exciting. In Australia we are already market leaders in the retail space, something we want to replicate across other verticals including travel and finance. However, the wider APAC region remains largely untapped.”
Tasked with a taking on a regional role amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, McLennan says he will be prioritising macro challenges for the business over his own personal challenges in order to support both existing and potential clients.
Beyond the pandemic though, he says his overarching focus will be to help brands leverage the company’s global network and grow the business across APAC.
“Our Australian business is in great health, and we will continue to leverage that in order to diversify our client base across additional verticals creating more opportunities for brands to grow," he says.
“Across the region my immediate priority is to build upon these amazing foundations to further establish Rakuten Advertising in the Singapore and SEA market.
“Additionally, I want to continue to focus on the strength of our publisher network in the region, providing opportunities for our clients to reach diverse audiences across diverse markets.
"I feel fortunate to have joined a highly diversified, successful business which is focusing on the health and wellbeing of employees above all else."
McLennan’s appointment follows Rakuten Advertising’s recent expansion and rebrand which saw the company bring together its affiliate network, programmatic retargeting and prospecting technology, with access to Rakuten’s global media properties including Rakuten TV, Rakuten Viber, Rakuten Viki and Rakuten France.
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