Yang (pictured) was chief executive of Publicis Shanghai and Guangzhou until May 2019. He was appointed as the general manager of Shanghai operations in 2007, and promoted to managing director in 2010. In 2012, he took up the chief executive role.

He has also worked at Ogilvy & Mather, JWT and Dentsu.

At M&C Saatchi aeiou, Yang will be based in the Shanghai office and work closely with founders Michael Liu and Tony Liu to continue the agency’s growth.

Moray MacLennan, chief executive of M&C Saatchi Worldwide, said the hire reflects the company’s “ambitions for the future in this key market”. MacLennan added: “[Yang] not only has a deep understanding of the Chinese communication landscape, but importantly, combines this with an entrepreneurial spirit. Working with Tony Liu and Michael Liu, our existing partners, we’re confident of continuing growth and success.”