Carol Potter joins Edelman as executive vice chairman Edelman APAC, Middle East + Africa

Edelman has appointed Carol Potter as executive vice chairman, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APACMEA) effective August 1. Potter, outgoing president and CEO of BBDO and Proximity Greater China, will support David Brain, president and CEO, APACMEA and the regional team in building on Edelman’s most diverse region as a member of the regional operations committee. The hire follows the move on March 1 by Cornelia Kunze, former vice chairman, APACMEA, to a similar role in Europe & CIS. Potter will be based in Dubai and report to Brain.

“Carol represents the gold standard of advertising and planning, and will bring with her the science and rigor of marketing to accelerate our evolution into becoming the region’s first communications marketing agency,” said Brain. “She is a leading brands thinker and will elevate our research, creative and content offerings across the region for the benefit of our clients.”

Potter (pictured above)is one of the best known and respected women in global advertising. She arrived in Shanghai as CEO of BBDO China in 2006, before which she was a global business director at J. Walter Thompson in London. She started her career at Saatchi & Saatchi and has worked in Sydney, New York, Tokyo and London, marketing and advertising the world’s most famous brands and Fortune 500 companies.

“Edelman has always been an impressive company to me and its evolution, which David is pioneering in the region, really ignited my interest,” said Potter. “I see this as a wonderful opportunity to use my experience in new ways to pursue that same agenda.”

Potter will have a particular remit to help develop Edelman’s brand offer which encompasses social, digital, experiential, PR, analytics and research for clients throughout the region. Companies and brands she has worked with include Unilever, Pepsi, Visa, Kellogg’s, Avis, Mercedes-Benz, Mars/Wrigley and Nivea; and between 2001 and 2004 she ran the De Beers account globally.

Potter is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a member of D&AD.