Natasha Aziz (pictured), former head of integrated brand experiences at Entropia Blanc, has joined IKEA Southeast Asia as the shopping centre marketing manager. IKEA's spokesperson confirmed the appointment to A+M , adding that Aziz has joined the regional shopping centre team and reports to Andrew Yeoh, head of shopping centre marketing.
In addition to being the owner of home furnishing stores in the region, IKEA Southeast Asia also develops, owns and operates shopping centres anchored by the company. In the region, the portfolio includes IPC and MyTOWN Shopping Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Megabangna in Bangkok and the soon-to-be-opened Toppen Shopping Centre in Johor Bahru.
“We are thrilled to have Aziz on board. She not only brings broad experience to our team, she is an excellent fit for our unique culture and values at IKEA Southeast Asia,” Yeoh said.
Aziz joined Entropia earlier this year and prior to that, was the head of account management at FCB Malaysia for more than five years. She also previously had stints with OgilvyAction, Jones Knowles Ritchie and Pi global. In these roles she handled clients such as Unilever, Mondelez, Beiersdorf and many others.
Separately, the marketing team responsible for advertising and external communication for the IKEA home furnishing business, also called for a creative pitch last month, with incumbent BBH Singapore also invited to participate . BBH Singapore has been the lead agency on the account for the past six years, responsible for running IKEA’s full suite of integrated communications in Singapore and Malaysia, and more recently in Thailand.
Meanwhile in March this year, the company also launched its eighth IKEA store in Batu Kawan to serve more than 6.6 million people in Malaysia's northern region. To drum up publicity for its new store in Penang, IKEA unveiled a quirky campaign , developed by BBH Singapore, celebrating the city’s culture through the use of light-hearted Hokkien wordplay.
