Futurebrand names new Asia-Pacific CEO

Global brand consultancy under the IPG group, Futurebrand, has appointed Zayn Khan as CEO Asia-Pacific starting 1 June.

Khan joins from Thinkscape Malaysia where he was serving as CEO and Partner.

Khan will be relocating from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai and will report directly to Futurebrand Worldwide CEO Patrick Smith.

Khan joins with significant experience in brand building and shaping marketing strategy. While at Thinkscape, he built a strong consulting offering to complement the firm’s design and architecture practices, leading the team to win major new businesses. Earlier in his career, Khan held positions in WPP at The Brand Union in London and Hill+Knowlton Strategies in San Francisco before being tapped to lead strategic planning in Ogilvy Malaysia where he eventually rose to country head.

Commenting on Khan’s appointment, Smith said, “His history of results-driven leadership and strong understanding of cross-cultural nuances will be of immense value to our operations and client work in Asia. I look forward to working with him and am confident in his ability to take Futurebrand to the next level in this exciting, dynamic region.”

Moving to Shanghai for a regional role makes sense, said Khan, because of the potential and opportunity China represents. “I’m hugely optimistic about the growth of Asian brands as they move towards a more systematic approach to branding. I believe over the next give five years the world will see the breakthrough of brands from markets like China, India and Indonesia,” Khan told Campaign.