Meta Retail Media Expertise Arrives in APAC via Zitcha Hire
Zitcha hires Phil Bonanno as APAC commercial director, bringing 11+ years of Meta retail expertise. Two former Meta executives now lead Zitcha's commercial strategy as retail media market hits US$9...
Retail media technology company Zitcha has appointed Phil Bonanno as APAC commercial director, bringing more than 11 years of experience from Meta into one of the world's fastest-growing advertising markets.
Former Meta Client Partner Joins Zitcha's APAC Leadership Team
Bonanno spent over 11 years at Meta as a client partner, where he developed strategies to improve retail marketing returns across Facebook's advertising platform. His work included audience mapping, creative development, and performance analysis for major retail clients and agency partners.
Based at Zitcha's Melbourne headquarters, Bonanno will focus on growing revenue across Asia Pacific and helping retailers and brands achieve measurable, data-led advertising results.
"Retail has been the through line of my career and I have worked closely with the Zitcha team since before its launch," Bonanno said. "Joining Zitcha feels like a full-circle moment and an opportunity to help retailers and brands unlock more value from retail media across APAC."
Jack Byrne, Zitcha's co-founder and APAC CEO, said Bonanno "brings a rare combination of retail operational knowledge, media expertise and strategic commercial acumen" to the company.
Bonanno also serves as an advisor to Retail Cities, a global retail data and insights consultancy.
Two Former Meta Colleagues Now Lead Zitcha's Commercial Strategy
The appointment follows Zitcha's announcement last week of Steve Biddle as chief commercial officer. Biddle previously led retail media network strategy and solutions at Meta, where he worked alongside Bonanno.
The two executives now form Zitcha's senior commercial leadership team, bringing shared experience building retail advertising frameworks at one of the world's largest digital platforms.
Zitcha has recorded 1,391% revenue growth since inception, providing the financial foundation for these senior hires. The company already counts The Warehouse Group and Priceline among its APAC retail clients, and THG Beauty has deployed its platform internationally.
In March 2025, Zitcha announced a global partnership with programmatic advertising platform StackAdapt, expanding access to retail media campaigns across Asia Pacific for mid-market brands and smaller businesses.
APAC Retail Media Market Reaches US$97.8 Billion
The appointments arrive as Asia Pacific's retail media market is projected to reach US$97.8 billion in 2025, growing at 13.5% year-over-year. The region is the largest retail media market globally.
The market is currently dominated by e-commerce-native platforms including Alibaba, Shopee, Lazada, and Grab. Shopee Malaysia's retail media network alone drives 35% of its transactions through shoppable livestreams.
Zitcha positions itself differently, offering a platform that connects advertising across physical stores, websites, and external digital channels simultaneously. This targets retailers who operate across both in-store and online environments, rather than pure e-commerce operators.
Total advertising growth across APAC is decelerating to 5.9% in 2025, according to eMarketer. Retail media's ability to use first-party customer data and measure results close to the point of purchase is driving budget reallocation from traditional advertising formats.
South Korea is identified as the fastest-growing country market within APAC's retail media platform segment, with Singapore's 48% business AI adoption rate and Southeast Asia's US$300 billion digital economy signaling broader regional maturity.
Zitcha operates across APAC, the US, Canada, and the UK. No specific timeline for additional APAC market expansions has been announced.
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