Heads of Juries Named for APAC Effie Awards 2019

The APAC Effie Awards has named Publicis Groupe’s Jonathan Akwue and Fuji Xerox’s Susie Wong as heads of jury for the APAC Effie Awards 2019.

Jonathan is an executive vice President at Publicis Groupe based in Singapore. His current role is focused on implementing a truly integrated multi-agency Publicis model across the Asia Pacific region. With over 20 years of multidisciplinary experience, his career spans design, advertising, social media, digital strategy, data driven marketing and media. 

Prior to his current role, he was managing partner at Digitas and the CEO of Lost Boys, an award-winning creative content agency in London. While in the UK, he played a key role in designing the ground-breaking Government Digital Service (GDS). He went on to launch Moment Studio, an agile creative newsroom that produced real-time social content for brands. Jonathan has worked with leading brands including Microsoft, Unilever, Rolls Royce, Sky, UBS, and Samsung.

A frequent industry speaker and commentator, in 2017, Jonathan received a Legacy Award for his contribution to the Media Industry. He was also acknowledged by the Financial Times as the UK’s 3rd most influential ethnic minority person in technology in 2018, in recognition of his efforts to champion diversity and inclusion. Having judged the UK Effie Awards since 2016, he passionately believes that marketing should be judged by its effectiveness. 

Jonathan said: “I am honoured to be a Head of Jury for the APAC Effie Awards, 2019. In a world of fads and fake news, effective marketing is the benchmark we should all be aiming for. While it can be disruptive, truly effective marketing doesn’t seek to deceive its audience. Instead, it feels personal, timely, relevant and valuable. Anything else is just noise.”

As Fuji Xerox Singapore’s chief digital & marketing officer, Susie Wong is responsible for driving profitable market share and mindshare through helping customers in their transformational journey, from document to digital intelligence. Her new charter includes customer experience, field & digital marketing, brand & product management, and e-commerce strategies. 

Susie is recognised for championing technologies that create personalised customer experiences at scale. She brings to Fuji Xerox data-driven, customer-centric marketing, and leadership experience that create a real and lasting impact for brands.

Prior to Fuji Xerox, Susie was the director of performance & programmatic marketing with IBM Asia Pacific. She took on a multitude of regional and global responsibilities in her IBM tenure which included heading the ASEAN marketing strategy & communications, leading integrated marketing & communications for ASEAN and South Asia & communications, and developing brand strategies for IBM’s growth markets. In these roles, her teams have clinched numerous local & global industry awards. Throughout her career, Susie has thrived in diverse industries, led marketing transformation and built marketing capabilities both large and small. 

On her appointment, Susie said: “I am super pumped to be involved with the APAC Effies once again, this time in the capacity of head of jury. The Effie Awards are where the best works of technology and storytelling converge to prove they’ve delivered business results.”

The APAC Effie Awards spotlight marketing Ideas that work, and recognise all forms of marketing communications that contribute to a brand’s success.

The remaining heads of jury and the full jury line-up of judges will be announced progressively. To view the first group of judges, visit www.apaceffie.com