Director, Studio X & Agency Operations

The Director, Studio X & Agency Operations is a critical leadership role at the heart of Coca‑Cola Japan & South Korea Operating Units’ marketing transformation. This role combines end‑to‑end stewardship of Studio X—the execution arm of Open X—with strategic and operational leadership of agency operations, performance management, and efficiency optimization across WPP, strategic, and boutique agencies. 

The role ensures speed, quality, transparency, and effectiveness in marketing execution by integrating capabilities, standardizing ways of working, and driving disciplined agency governance, while remaining future‑focused and innovation‑oriented. Acting as a senior change agent, this leader bridges global and local, strategy and execution, and creativity and commercial rigor to enable a modern marketing organization. 

Key Responsibilities 

1. Studio X Leadership & Execution Stewardship 

• Lead the OU Studio X agenda, in close partnership with the designated Studio X Lead, ensuring alignment with global Studio X strategy and standards. 

• Drive day‑to‑day stewardship of Studio X activities, including integrated project management across multiple marketing capabilities. 

• Standardize and continuously improve processes, tools, routines, and best practices, consistent with global Studio X guidelines. 

• Serve as the primary OU liaison with WPP within Studio X, ensuring effective engagement, communication, and performance management. 

• Partner with OU Studio X leads to define service rollout, identify operational pain points, and escalate as needed to Open X and global Studio X leadership. 

• Contribute as a core member of the global Studio X community, shaping future agendas, learning culture, and capability evolution. 

• Lead the articulation and rollout of the Studio X playbook across Operating Units. 

2. Agency Operations, Performance & Governance 

• Provide senior oversight of Agency Operations management and engagement processes across WPP, strategic agencies, and boutique rosters. 

• Establish and steward robust, project‑based agency performance assessment, ensuring structured feedback loops with KO teams, agencies, and project output owners. 

• Oversee tracking, validation, and reconciliation of agency scope, type, and volume of work, in close collaboration with: 

• Studio X leadership 

• Marketing Operations & Capabilities 

• Procurement 

• Finance / CAPS / Operations Directors 

• Drive agency efficiency and value creation, including fee structures, productivity measures, and continuous improvement initiatives. 

• Support and govern marketing procurement processes and tools (e.g., MAP tools including PS, FTP, PE, etc.). 

• Partner with Platform Services to develop and steward a technology‑enabled agency intelligence platform, providing: 

• Real‑time visibility of agency credentials and ROI 

• Proprietary Coca‑Cola assessments of agency skills and individual talent 

• Dynamic management of the global and local agency roster 

3. Marketing Transformation & Change Leadership 

• Act as a senior change agent for marketing transformation, embedding new ways of working across the OU and broader network. 

• Role‑model agile, integrated, and collaborative behaviors across global, regional, and local teams. 

• Contribute beyond core scope to strategic marketing transformation initiatives led by the Marketing Operations & Capabilities team. 

• Build strong partnerships with: 

• OU Category teams 

• Integrated Marketing Experiences (IMX) 

• Frontline Activation (FLA) 

• Commercial and Bottler stakeholders 

• Balance flexibility and discipline, ensuring future‑ready innovation while maintaining operational rigor. 

Leadership & Collaboration 

• Direct Reports: 1  

• Influences and aligns senior OU leaders, negotiating investment and adoption of Studio X and agency transformation initiatives. 

• Shares best practices and insights across the global marketing network. 

Qualifications & Experience 

Experience 

• Over 13 years of progressive senior leadership experience in: 

• Marketing execution 

• Agency management & operations 

• Innovation and capability management 

• Project and program management 

• Proven experience working across cross‑functional and cross‑geographical teams. 

• Strong background in agency governance, pitch management, and procurement. 

• Experience with bottlers and local market operations preferred. 

Capabilities & Skills 

• Deep understanding of modern marketing execution models and agency ecosystems. 

• Strong business, commercial, financial, and digital acumen. 

• Demonstrated expertise in change management and culture transformation. 

• Ability to orchestrate complex stakeholder ecosystems and enterprise‑wide initiatives. 

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate complexity into clear strategic direction. 

• Fluency in modern collaboration and workflow tools (e.g., Teams, backlog tools, Miro, Mural). 

• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills in English and Japanese. 

Education 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.