Fallon’s Chris Foster replaces Ian Rowden as Saatchi’s Asia Pacific chairman and regional CEO

Fallon, Minneapolis CEO Chris Foster has been appointed chairman and regional CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Asia Pacific – including Australia and New Zealand – effective 1 June headquartered in Singapore. He replaces Ian Rowden, who was Sydney-based and due to return to the US this weekend.

Foster’s region includes 13 nations: Australia, New Zealand, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Sri Lanka and Singapore.

For the past three years Foster has been CEO of Fallon, Minneapolis, leading a highly successful turnaround of the agency’s operations, working closely with Aussie expat chief creative officer Darren Spiller, who joined Fallon in April 2009. Foster role has been taken by Mike Buchner, chief operating officer at Fallon in Minneapolis.

Making the announcement, Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi Fallon Group, said that Foster was an outstanding leader for the Asia Pacific region, having had previous roles in the region for Saatchi & Saatchi 1998-2005 in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

“Chris is an inspirational leader,” says Roberts. “His return to Asia Pacific is good news for clients and for our people. He is a world-class brand navigator with very successful US experience to add to his previous decade in Asia.”

Roberts says that Foster’s region – which excludes China – has one third of the world’s population, over two billion people. “Serving the everyday needs of these peoples is a serious business and Chris is our natural leader for this region.”

Canadian-born Foster, 46, has been Saatchi & Saatchi’s CEO in Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, GM of international accounts in Asia Pacific, and Global Equity Director for the agency’s client Procter & Gamble where he led a team of more than 400 overseeing the P&G laundry and home care business globally, including brands such as Ariel, Cascade, Dash, Ajax, and the flagship brand, Tide.

“Chris will work hip-to-hip with our Greater China CEO, Justin Billingsley, to drive growth throughout the region and create a united team that serves half the world’s people.”

Roberts said that Foster’s replacement at Fallon, Mike Buchner is an outstanding communications professional: “After several senior management roles at Fallon, he segues naturally into the lead. Mike has been a pivotal player in the agency’s “A-list” position and he will provide a formidable mix of stability, growth, and vision.

“He will be strongly supported by Chief Creative Officer Darren Spiller and newly appointed Chief Strategy Officer Michael Fanuele, and the entire team at Fallon.”