McDonald’s taps Yum Brands veteran for Asia CMO role | News | Campaign Asia

McDonald’s has appointed seasoned marketer Angelina Villanueva as its new chief marketing officer for Asia, effective September 1. Villanueva steps into the role following the departure of Brenda Kou, who held the position for less than a year.

Kou, a McDonald’s veteran with over a decade of experience in various senior leadership roles, joined the Asia CMO position in October 2023 after a successful tenure as vice president of integrated marketing for Taiwan. Her previous roles at the company included senior director and head of marketing for Taiwan, showcasing her deep understanding of the brand and the region.

During her time as Asia CMO, Kou spearheaded several campaigns, prominent among them the 40th-anniversary campaign for McDonald’s Taiwan. Partnering with Leo Burnett Taiwan (see below), the campaign featured a 1:35-minute film starring Taiwanese pop icon Jolin Tsai. The film, a nostalgic journey through four decades of McDonald’s presence in Taiwan, was lauded for its innovative use of virtual production technology.

Villanueva brings over 20 years of marketing expertise to McDonald’s, recently serving as director of marketing at Yum Brands Singapore. As Asia CMO, she will oversee marketing for 12 markets, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, and India. Her focus will be on increasing the creative output, driving business performance through value-driven strategies, and prioritising digital initiatives.

A well-known marketer in the Malaysia circles, Villanueva served as CMO of KFC Malaysia prior to her stint at Yum Brands, overseeing the Malaysia and Singapore markets. She initially started her career at the agency side with a long stint at Ogilvy Malaysia, where she cut through the ranks to climb to general manager of Ogilvy Kuala Lumpur.

Villanueva will report to Stijn Heytens, head of Asia, for commercial matters and McDonald’s international CMO for the international developmental licensed (IDL) segment for functional areas such as marketing, digital strategy, and menu development. Lee oversees all international regions outside of the US including Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.