Voyage Edge — Advertising + luxury travel

ISABELLA'S ISLAY Hotel Openings May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Aman

Globetrender ↗

Aman expands to 5 new properties across Utah, Japan, Mexico, Texas, and India

Aman is opening a ranch resort in Texas Hill Country, a luxury farm resort in Japan, villas in Utah, an Indian camp, and a Mexico resort, marking the brand's most aggressive expansion in a decade.

ReadingUltra-luxury no longer waits for market saturation. Aman's strategy signals that founders with 30-year reputations can outrun PE-backed acquirers by moving faster than quarterly synergy targets allow.

WatchWithin 18 months, expect announcements about capital partners. A brand this distributed needs sophisticated equity architecture.

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amanexpansionluxury hospitalitymulti-property

HENRI IV CMO Appointments May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Joan

Ad Age ↗

Joan co-founder Jaime Robinson departs after 10 years leading the agency

Jaime Robinson, co-founder of Joan, is stepping down after a decade at the helm, marking a significant leadership transition at the independent creative agency.

ReadingIndependent agency founders are now viewing the decade as a defined tenure, not a life sentence. This signals a maturation in the indie model—equity events and planned succession.

WatchThe next announcement will name the successor. If it is internal, Joan has built institutional depth. If external, the founding team is being replaced, not extended.

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joanfounder departureagency leadershipsuccession

MACALLAN 1926 Creative Direction May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Ogilvy

LBBOnline ↗

Guillermo Vega named CCO for North America; Rafa Rizuto departs Ogilvy

Rafa Rizuto has left Ogilvy, with Guillermo Vega appointed as Chief Creative Officer for the agency's North America operations, signaling a significant creative leadership shift.

ReadingWPP's creative shops are in steady-state replacement mode. The talent migration is lateral, not upward. Candidates are taking holding company titles as consolation, not ascension.

WatchIf Vega announces external hires within 90 days, Ogilvy is making a real move. If the appointment stays quiet, it is pure succession housekeeping.

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ogilvycreative leadershipcco appointmentwpp

LOUIS XIII Creative Direction May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Colle McVoy

ADWEEK ↗

Colle McVoy CCO Ciro Sarmiento departs the Minneapolis independent

Ciro Sarmiento, Chief Creative Officer at Colle McVoy, has departed the independent agency, marking a notable loss of creative leadership at the Minnesota shop.

ReadingIndependent agencies without portfolio-wide stars are increasingly porous. Talent at that tier moves up to networks or sideways to startups. The middle is thinning.

WatchWhether Colle McVoy promotes internally or hires external will determine if the agency is stabilizing or shrinking.

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colle mcvoycco departurecreativeindependent agency

PAPPY 23 Agency Intelligence May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Havas London

Campaign ↗

Vicki Maguire to leave Havas London in executive transition

Vicki Maguire is departing Havas London, continuing a pattern of senior-level exits across the Vivendi-owned network.

ReadingHavas is executing a slow churn. The agency is not collapsing; it is quietly reorganizing. Watch for the announcement of a new operating structure in Q2.

WatchHow long Maguire remains in the agency ecosystem. If she surfaces at a competing network within 60 days, internal conversations moved faster than public ones.

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havasexecutive departurelondonvivendi

JOHNNIE BLUE Global Tourism Policy May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Japan Tourism

ET TravelWorld, Travel And Tour World, SoraNews24 ↗

Japan inbound tourism breaks records as outbound travel stalls; Indian arrivals exceed 300,000

Japan is experiencing record-breaking inbound tourism while Japanese outbound travel slows, with foreign visitors—particularly from India—spending differently and visiting in record numbers, hitting over 300,000 Indian arrivals.

ReadingLuxury hospitality in Japan pivots. The consumer base is inverting from domestic affluent to international affluent. Properties built for Tokyo money now chase Delhi money.

WatchHotel development in Japan will shift toward international positioning within two quarters. Look for announcements of repositioned properties and international marketing pivots.

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japaninbound tourismindiahospitality shift

WELL POUR Creative Direction May 1, 11:06 AM EDT

Neil French Estate

Campaign Brief Asia ↗

Advertising luminary Neil French leaves legacy reshaping creative culture across Asia

Campaign Brief Asia published a retrospective on Neil French's passing, noting his profound influence on reshaping creative culture across Asian agencies and the broader advertising industry.

ReadingWhen a figure this visible exits, the next generation of creative leaders becomes visible whether they are ready or not. The vacuum fills in hours, not years.

WatchWhich emerging creative voice positions itself as 'the next Neil French.' That positioning will reveal who understood the actual leverage—which was proximity to power, not creative output.

Read full analysis → Original ↗

neil frenchadvertising legacyasiacreative culture