Speaking on the appointment, Karl Cluck, Chief Client Officer, APAC said, “We are excited to have Stephen join Mindshare and lead our operations in Japan and Korea. We are confident that Stephen will add a tremendous energy and depth of experience to Mindshare. He brings a deep understanding of both markets along with a global view of communications best practice.”
Berkov brings over 20 years of marketing strategy and media experience in automotive, cosmetics and luxury — and has worked extensively in Japan, the US and Europe.
He joins Mindshare from Iceology, an independent brand consultancy in Los Angeles focused on luxury, consumer goods and automotive clients. Previous to this role, Stephen was the President for La Prairie cosmetics in Tokyo between 2010 and 2013 where he managed a team of 80 people including marketing, sales, PR and HR.
Commenting on the new role Berkov said, “I am thrilled to be part of the Mindshare family in Japan & Korea to further grow our well-performing business in these markets. The client need for our leading Adaptive Marketing approach to media planning and implementation is more crucial than ever as consumer behavior now demands it for relevant and effective brand communications.”
Berkov spent nearly 10 years at Audi in a series of roles in Japan, Germany and the US finishing his job there as Director of Marketing and Brand Innovation in the US, splitting his time between Detroit and Southern California.
He started his career at Toyota in Japan where he was a corporate PR manager and spokesperson to foreign media. He also did part of his university studies in Tokyo and speaks fluent Japanese.
