Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China adds three leadership roles to contribute global experience

Saatchi & Saatchi has added three new key leadership positions at its agency offices across Greater China with Antoni D’Esterre, Linda Kovarik and Paul Lin.

Antoni D’Esterre (left), Managing Partner of Greater China, International Business, is responsible for managing and developing the agency’s key international clients in the region with a focus on Procter & Gamble. Linda Kovarik, Head of Planning, Greater China, will lead and develop the planning function in all Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China offices. Paul Lin, taking on the role of Chief Digital Officer, Greater China, will develop the overall agency’s digital capabilities, including digital strategy, integration and transformation, to provide clients with the most cutting-edge digital solutions. D’Esterre, Kovarik and Lin will all report directly to Michael Lee, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, Greater China.

“We are extremely happy to see such internationally renowned marketing leaders like Antoni, Linda (left) and Paul joining us at Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China,” Lee commented. “They bring world-class marketing communications experience from different countries around the world. More importantly, they deeply understand the markets and consumers across Asia and have years of China experience collectively. I am confident that their contributions will be an important driver for the future success for our clients at Saatchi & Saatchi Greater China, as well as our own.”

With more than 20 years of experience in marketing communications, fifteen of those in Asia, D’Esterre is a true international brand management expert. Before joining Saatchi & Saatchi, he served as General Manager of International Business at Publicis Shanghai. He has worked for many top agencies around the globe, including Leo Burnett in Hong Kong and Tokyo, and Saatchi & Saatchi in Frankfurt and Bangkok. D’Esterre has extensive knowledge of beauty and hair care categories, and has managed international brands like Procter & Gamble, as well as luxury brands such as Cartier, Dior, Ferragamo and Mandarin Oriental Hotels. He is based in Hong Kong.

Before joining Saatchi & Saatchi, Kovarik ran Creative Sherpa, her own business in Hong Kong, and served as the Regional Creative Director at Coca-Cola Asia Pacific, where she led strategic, creative and production development for all major Coca-Cola brands across the Asia Pacific region. Kovarik has also served as Executive Planning Director at Beacon Communications and Regional Planning Director for Procter & Gamble beauty care at Leo Burnett Asia Pacific. Kovarik is known as a dynamic leader who works collaboratively and creatively to solve business problems. In 2004, she was distinguished as one of “25 Women to Watch in Media, Marketing and Advertising” by Advertising Age. Linda is based in Hong Kong.

Lin (left) is based in Shanghai and joins Saatchi & Saatchi from AdPeople, where he was Strategic Planning Director, responsible for providing strategic planning leadership to clients such as Unilever. Prior to that, he served as Strategic Planning Director at Wunderman AGENDA, Shanghai, working with brands like Hershey’s, PepsiCo, Starbucks, Qoros, Levi’s, IKEA, GAP, Disney, Microsoft, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson. Before coming to China in 2011, Lin was based in Canada.