Adrian Warr to Join Burson as CEO, South Asia-Pacific
NEW YORK, MAY 13, 2024 – BCW and Hill & Knowlton, which will merge as of July 1 to form Burson, today announced that Adrian Warr has been named CEO, South Asia-Pacific, covering the agency’s business in India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. He will join Burson as of September 16th.
Warr has spent more than two decades at top global agencies counseling clients across industries, disciplines and geographies; managing eight-figure P&Ls with meticulous operational oversight; and building diverse, award-winning teams. He has served as a close adviser to the leaders of some of the world’s most high-profile institutions, helping them deploy multi-channel communications to address complex commercial threats and opportunities.
“The myriad challenges and opportunities facing clients today could not be more foundational,” said Corey duBrowa, Global CEO, BCW, who will hold the same title with Burson upon completion of the merger. “Adrian has considerable experience pairing creativity with innovation to help clients navigate ambiguity and overcome obstacles, all while building their reputations amid extreme geopolitical, social and commercial complexity. This expertise, coupled with his rigorous advocacy for teams and talent, make him exceptionally well-suited to lead our South APAC business.”
Before joining BCW, Warr spent the last 10 years with Edelman in variety of roles in the Asia-Pacific region, serving as Head of Corporate, Hong Kong; Managing Director, Hong Kong & Taiwan; CEO, Hong Kong & Taiwan and Thailand; CEO, Southeast Asia; Head of Employee Experience, APAC; and ultimately, Vice Chair, Practices & Sectors, APAC. He was awarded Campaign’s Agency Head of the Year in 2021 and Champion for the Advancement of Women by The American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Before Edelman, he spent 12 years in London, as a partner with Portland, an Associate Board Director with Freuds Communications, and in a variety of roles in his seven years with Hill & Knowlton.
Through his career, Warr has worked on clients including Astra Zeneca, Cathay, Google, Samsung, EY, Tencent, Coca-Cola, KPMG, Nielsen, MetLife, Roche, Dairy Farm, Shangri-La, Pfizer, GSK, Mars, Wrigley, PepsiCo, KFC, Pizza Hut, HSBC, American Express, GE and BCG, among many others.
“Burson is the talk of the town and rightly so, it’s changing the face of the industry, who wouldn’t want a piece of that action?” said Warr. “From the complexities of going global to geopolitical upheaval to the challenges of innovating at scale, clients increasingly need the unbridled creative thinking that this agency brings to every brief. The team in South APAC is brimming with world-class talent and I’m honored to be the Burson person leading them.”
Matt Stafford has departed BCW with immediate effect from his role as President, Asia-Pacific.
On January 25th, WPP announced it would merge its two largest communications agencies, BCW and Hill & Knowlton, to form Burson, a powerhouse delivering modern communications leadership at scale to clients across the world. The merged company will become an industry-leading, full-service communications agency focused on building and protecting reputation. Burson will be operational as of July 1, 2024.