WPP recently appointed the current CEO of Essence Global Kyoko Matsushita as its Japan-based CEO, according to a press release.
“Kyoko’s experience and work at the leading edge of technology and her appreciation for building a strong culture make her the perfect leader for our WPP business in Japan,” Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said in the release. “She is highly respected across our industry, and her return to the Asia Pacific region follows a period of great success as CEO of Essence. I have no doubt she will unlock new opportunities for our people and clients in the world’s third-largest economy.”
Under her new role, Matsushita’s main tasks will be to lead WPP’s general operations in Japan, and leverage networking abilities to promote connections between clients and helpful related resources.
With the new appointment, the company hopes to “identify growth opportunities, drive greater collaboration and cooperation across WPP agencies, and invest in people in a market with a rich history and strong cultural identity.”
Based in Tokyo, she garnered much of her experience at Essence Global, where she began her tenure in 2014 leading operations in the APAC region. She now returns to Asia following the confirmation of an EssenceMediacom merge, set to launch soon, the press release states.
During her time as CEO for Essence in the APAC region, Matsushita managed offices across Beijing, Bengaluru, Delhi, Jakarta, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo. Prior to that, she was tasked with leading marketing and communications solutions at Sony Europe, specializing in Electronic Arts in EMEA and APAC.
With 23 offices established across 12 countries, WPP hopes to continue expanding its global footprint in Japan, which is considered to have potential, considering its $51 billion advertising market, ranked third after the U.S and China, and consistently maintaining the fourth largest ecommerce market.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to serve as WPP’s CEO in a country with so much growth potential for us and the industry,” Matsushita said in the release. “Japan is close to my heart, and the chance to lead the WPP business in a market with tremendous opportunity for us is a real honor.”
According to the press release, some of the New York-based data and measurement-driven full-service media agency’s partnering Japanese companies include AKQA, BCW, Essence, Finsbury Glover Hering, Grey, GroupM, Hogarth, Landor & Fitch, MediaCom, Mindshare, Ogilvy, VMLY&R, Verticurl, Wavemaker, Wunderman Thompson and Xaxis.
With more than 1,00 clients secured in the country, the company’s slate of clients includes Amazon, Dell Technologies, Gilead Sciences, Google, IBM, Mars, Mitsubishi, Mondelez, Nestlé, Pfizer, P&G, Sony, Toyota and Uber, among others.