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Tokyo—December 7, 2019—Hakuhodo Inc., Japanʼs second largest advertising company, is pleased to announce that Takahiro Hosoda, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\HAKUHODO, and Edge Montero, Managing Director at IdeasXMachina Advertising, Inc., have been named in Campaign Asia-Pacific magazine’s 40 Under 40 2020. Forty young marketing and media industry leaders are selected each year by the magazine, Asia’s largest marketing industry journal.

From left: Takahiro Hosoda, TBWA\HAKUHODO; Edge Montero, IdeasXMachina Advertising, Inc.

TBWA\HAKUHODO’s Takahiro Hosoda, who heads up the company’s 70-person-strong creative division, has devoted himself to pushing and implementing innovation. Wielding Disruption, TBWA\HAKUHODO’s method for imagining new possibilities and visionary ideas by challenging conventional wisdom and overturning assumptions and prejudices, Hosoda has given birth to many unconventional ideas and provided clients with superior solutions.

Campaign recognized Hosoda saying, “believing in, practicing and teaching about disruption has made Takahiro Hosoda one of APAC’s most awarded creatives.”

Edge Montero has drawn attention as a next-generation managing director at Philippines brand agency IdeasXMachina Advertising. Montero has a long track record of acquiring new clients in account service, winning the firm trust of clients. Besides this stellar account acquisition record, he drew high praise for his focus on nurturing talent in the advertising industry, including actively recruiting new talent, including new graduates, during the pandemic, when many companies have been forced to scale back recruiting.

Takahiro Hosoda

Executive Creative Director, TBWA\HAKUHODO

Hosoda joined Hakuhodo in 2005, and after a stay at TBWA\CHIAT\DAY in Los Angeles, he joined TBWA\HAKUHODO in 2012. He is responsible for overall creative direction for a number of global brands including automotive, apparel, sports, finance, and beauty. He is also responsible for corporate vision development and business, product, and service concept development, and has garnered attention for his activities beyond the advertising industry. So far, he has received more than 500 prestigious Japanese and international awards, including Cannes Lion Gold, the ADC Annual Awards Grand Prix, CLIO Grand, Spikes Asia Grand Prix, and the ACC Tokyo Creativity Awards Grand Prix. He is also a JAAA Creator of the Year Medalist. In 2015 and 2018, he was named Creative Person of the Year by Campaign Asia-Pacific magazine.

Edge “Eggsy” Montero

Managing Director, IdeasXMachina Advertising

Edge Montero entered the advertising industry as a 19-year-old. After stints at various agencies, including global agencies, he joined IdeasXMachina in 2018. Since then, he has been in account service, where he has won the trust of clients over many years and is still regarded highly as a true partner today. He assumed the role of Managing Director in 2020.

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