WORLD: Analysis - How new chief of Burnett Asia acquired a taste for the Orient.(Michelle Kristula-Green, Leo Burnett Company Inc.)

Richard Pinder thinks that his replacement is perfect for Asia, Richard Lord says.

Being a regional agency boss can involve an awful lot of getting on and off aeroplanes, sitting in meeting rooms and pressing the flesh.

But the last two, at least, don't worry Michelle Kristula-Green, the newly appointed regional managing director of Leo Burnett Asia-Pacific. After all, she's had good training, working in Japan for the past 15 years.

'I've been in Japan a long time, so I have a high tolerance for meetings,' she says. 'There are a lot of skills one learns in Japan. I've been trained by the Japanese to listen.'

Before taking over the helm of Burnett Asia, Kristula-Green was the president of Beacon Communications, the agency originally formed from the Japan operations of Burnett and D'Arcy, along with the unit of Dentsu that dealt with Procter & Gamble business.

With Kristula-Green's appointment, Beacon formally joins the Burnett fold, reporting directly into the agency, rather than into the parent company Publicis.

Her new job, which officially started on 1 March, is Hong Kong-based, but moving to China after 15 years in Japan isn't going to be too much of a culture shock; she majored in East Asian Languages and Civilisations at the University of Chicago, speaks fluent Chinese, and even worked as a tour guide in China in the late 70s. Her first job in Asia was as an account director in Burnett's Taipei office, which she joined in 1986 before moving to Tokyo three years later. Her biggest client during her time in Asia has been P&G; she's also worked extensively on Coca-Cola, Fiat and United Distillers.