Lawrence Wan appointed as CEO of UM China

UM China has appointed Lawrence Wan as CEO. Wan will join the agency in April 2021 and report directly to Chris Chen, CEO of Mediabrands China, and Kasper Aakerlund, Regional President, UM APAC.

As a digital media and marketing veteran with more than 20 years of experience across the greater China region, Wan has been pioneering digital transformation from the internet boom to ad tech to data-driven AI. He has a proven track record of productizing, operationalizing, evangelizing and integrating new digital media innovations into global brands’ marketing strategy.

Most recently, Wan was Managing Director, Team Intel and Head of Integrated Solutions & Growth at Dentsu International China. His prior roles included Managing Director of AMNET China and Managing Director of iProspect China within Dentsu Network, as well as senior leadership roles at GroupM and Omnicom Media Group.

In his new position as CEO of UM China, Wan will lead the team to drive digital transformation and growth, and provide clients with best-in-class offerings across data, strategy & analytics, performance and planning to help them navigate the evolving media ecosystem and futureproof their business.

Chris Chen, CEO of Mediabrands China, said: “As digital transforms the business landscape and the pandemic accelerates that transformation, UM believes the future is now and embracing change is the only way to drive growth. As a digital transformation pioneer with a growth mindset, I believe Lawrence is a great fit with UM’s Futureproof philosophy and he is the “future” talent we are looking for to lead the UM China business to new heights.”

Kasper Aakerlund, Regional President, UM APAC, said: “I am very excited to welcome Lawrence to UM China. Lawrence has the qualities that matter to our clients – entrepreneurial spirit, focus on growth and passion for driving digital transformation. I have no doubt that Lawrence will make great strides for UM China and I look forward to working with him to futureproof our clients’ business.”