Experience agency Imagination announced the appointment of Justin Baird as head of technology for the Asia Pacific region. The appointment follows the recent announcement of Chris James as executive creative director for Australia.
“In Australia and across APAC there are significant opportunities to merge experience design and technology in both the physical and digital worlds,” said Baird.
“This requires special consideration, but also a unique approach with highly specialized skills, which Imagination is uniquely positioned to deliver. I’m very excited to be joining this brilliant team to help drive technology throughout the business.”
Baird brings two decades of technology consulting and agency expertise including his previous role as MD of R&D Technology and Innovation at Accenture, where he led the launch of their Liquid Labs program across Asia Pacific.
Baird also directed and produced the Accenture Interactive Orchestra for Adobe Symposium 2017, which featured a robot programmed with AI performing as a soloist at the Sydney Opera House.
While working at Hanson Robotics, he was part of the delivery of next-generation creative robotic performances, including the creation of an AI-based text-to-singing system for Sophia the Robot – which sang a duet with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.
Baird additional led Innovation at Google, where he delivered the launch of Youtube portals across the Asia Pacific, patented Google Underwater Street View and supported numerous consumer product releases. He was also a founding member of the Google Creative Council, said the release.
“Our vision is to be the region’s leading technology-enabled experience agency,” said Antony Gowthorp, managing director, Imagination.
“For over 50 years we’ve built an enviable reputation for delivering exceptional integrated experiences. With the pace and adoption of technology in marketing, we see a unique opportunity to further enhance experiences for our clients and their audiences. Justin’s diverse background anchored in solving the impossible through technology solutions is just what we need.”
