ASIA-PACIFIC – TOKYO, JAPAN, AUGUST 24, 2010 -Beacon Communications has appointed Antony Cundy, most recently with DDB in Europe, to the role of Executive Planning Director for the agency.
Commenting about Cundy’s appointment, Nicolas Menat, President, Representative Director, Beacon Communications said, "Our agency is currently evolving our strategic planning function into the next stage. Antony’s mission is to lead our team, combining his expertise in planning working with global networks with his understanding of Japanese consumers as he spent most of his career here in Tokyo".
“I am delighted to have had the opportunity to return to Japan with Beacon. While many agencies claim to offer the best of east and west in Japan I believe that we are uniquely positioned to be able deliver this. I look forward to elevating the already excellent thought leadership that the strategic planners are providing for our clients and to helping change behaviors through our HumanKind approach,” said Cundy.
Fluent in Japanese, Cundy was born in Plymouth, England and had spent the majority of his working life working in Tokyo.
He started his career in Japan after doing his postgraduate studies at Tokyo University. His first job was working on the Lexus brand for a small Toyota subsidiary. Later he joined Hakuhodo:Lintas, where over 3 ½ years he worked on Kit Kat for Nestle, Domestos and Cif for Unilever, ACDelco for GM, Winston for Mitsubishi Tobacco and baby products for Johnson and Johnson.
Cundy joined DDB Japan in 2004 to run the VW and Philips accounts. During his time at DDB Japan he worked for Unilever, Philips, VW, Vans, Michelin, Canadian Tourism Commission and as Japan’s representative in numerous regional and global pitches. Moving rapidly through the company he was made General Manager in 2006.
In 2008 he returned to his native UK to coordinate and direct the McDonald’s business across the 24 markets that work with DDB in Europe. Working closely with both divisional and pan-European level clients he has been heavily involved in developing new strategies and directions for products and platforms.
In his free time, Cundy also teaches traditional Japanese martial arts.
