Nike picks European media boss

Nike has appointed Duncan Mills, Nike’s media director for Asia-Pacific, as European media manager.

Mills moves from Hong Kong, where he handled Nike’s media relations in countries as far afield as Australia and South Africa.

He will now be the company’s most senior media executive in Europe. He reports to Nike’s US-based global director of media, Jo Pollard.

Mills replaces Jorg Tappe, who left to join the Omnicom-owned BBDO Group, where he became the new business director of its German media shop, New Directions (MW July 2). Tappe left Nike in the middle of the World Cup, a critical period for the company.

Mills joined Nike in October last year from Zenith, where he worked for eight and a half years. In 1995, Zenith began to expand its operations in Asia, and sent Mills to set up its Hong Kong office.

During his time at Zenith, he handled clients which included Calvin Klein, the Hong Kong Tourist Association, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and British American Tobacco’s business in China.