MAM
Dentsu International announces Merlee Jayme as CCO-APAC
MUMBAI: Dentsu International on Thursday announced the appointment of Merlee Jayme as the chief creative officer, Asia Pacific (APAC), with immediate effect. She will be responsible for creative excellence across dentsu’s creative and experience agencies in the region. These agencies include Isobar, dentsumcgarrybowen, and creative agencies under the house of dentsu, such as dentsu One, Dentsu Webchutney, and Taproot Dentsu.
Jayme will report to dentsu global CEO-creative, Jean Lin and dentsu Asia Pacific CEO Ashish Bhasin. Merlee will continue as part of the core team in the global creative experience council at dentsu and sponsor of the region’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity (DEI) programme.
Welcoming Merlee on board, Jean Lin said, “At dentsu, we bring together brand and experience around the organising power of an idea. Dentsu wants to be the most integrated agency network in the world, and compelling ideas and cultural insights play a pivotal role in achieving this vision. Merlee’s inclusive creative leadership, Asian roots, and global experience work brilliantly to deliver idea-led transformation in Asia Pacific – one of the most vibrant playgrounds for business creativity. We have an ambitious plan for the Asia Pacific and are thrilled to have Merlee focus on the region she calls home.”
Jayme is one of the most awarded Asian creative leaders and entrepreneurs in the industry, who joined the group through dentsu’s acquisition of her creative agency, JaymeSyfu. She was previously dentsumcgarrybowen’s global co-president. Merlee is a passionate advocate for the power of ideas in changing the world and DEI, and recently served as Jury President for Radio & Audio at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2021.
On her new role, Jayme commented, “My global role at dentsumcgarrybowen has opened my eyes to the integrated opportunities we can create to push creativity and innovation, solving our client’s problems with all creative capabilities across dentsu. I am excited to be back in my home region, working hand-in-hand with our amazing colleagues in Asia Pacific to create great work that matters for our clients.”
Ashish Bhasin said, “Merlee’s creative ability speaks for itself and when the opportunity arose to give her a broader remit across the region, it was a no-brainer. Her entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and innate ability to get the best out of the people she works with make her truly unique, and I am excited to see her instill further excellence across our agencies and unleash the potential of our Creative business, driving deeper connections with our clients and the consumers they’re talking with.”
Brands
Google nears Nvidia in race for world’s most valuable company
Market cap gap narrows as Google hits $4.65 trillion, Nvidia at $4.86 trillion.
MUMBAI: In the AI gold rush, even the giants are sprinting and Google is suddenly gaining ground. Google is rapidly closing in on Nvidia in the race to become the world’s most valuable publicly listed company, with the gap between the two narrowing sharply amid diverging stock momentum. The tech giant’s market capitalisation has surged to around $4.65 trillion, following a more than 140 per cent rise in its share price over the past year.
That rally has added over $2.6 trillion in value in just 12 months, including nearly $900 billion since January alone. Its stock recently hovered at $381.80, slipping marginally by 0.04 per cent, but still reflecting strong upward momentum.
Nvidia, meanwhile, continues to hold the top spot with a valuation of approximately $4.86 trillion. The chipmaker crossed the $5 trillion milestone in October last year and peaked at $5.27 trillion on 27 April. However, its shares have largely plateaued over the past six months, rising just 0.2 per cent recently to $199.99.
The contrast in trajectories is striking. While Nvidia has seen relatively flat movement, Google has gained over 36 per cent in the same six-month period. Barron’s estimates suggest that if current trends hold, the valuation gap could shrink to as little as $190 million by the time Nvidia reports its first-quarter earnings on 20 May.
Daily momentum paints a similar picture. Nvidia recorded average daily gains of about 0.66 per cent last month, compared to Google’s stronger 1.42 per cent, an edge that could prove decisive in the short term.
Driving Google’s resurgence is its aggressive push into artificial intelligence across its ecosystem, from search and YouTube to cloud computing. The company has already invested $144 billion in capital expenditure over the past two years and plans to deploy a further $490 billion over the next two.
Its cloud division is also gathering pace. Google Cloud reported an order backlog of nearly $220 billion in the latest quarter, with total backlog touching a record $462 billion, around half of which is expected to be realised within two years. The company’s entry into chip sales is also beginning to factor into its growth narrative.
The last time Google briefly topped the S&P 500 by market value was in February 2016, when it edged past Apple for just two days. This time, the stakes and the numbers are far higher.
At the heart of the contest lies a single force: artificial intelligence. As both companies pour billions into infrastructure, chips and platforms, the leaderboard is no longer just about size, it is about who can scale the future faster.
