Mediaedge:cia said Austin's intended departure is a "mutually positive and amicable agreement" and has been brought on by what Austin has described as a need for a "fundamental lifestyle change".
Charles Courtier, Mediaedge:cia's executive chairman, said: "Mark has made a huge contribution to MEC and we are extremely sorry to see him leave the company. We are fortunate to have depth of management in our EMEA operations."
Most recently Austin moved to London to work to work alongside Melanie Varley, who is chief executive officer.
Austin is credited as a key architect of the WPP media agency's growth across the Asia Pacific region, prior to and after WPP's acquisition of Tempus and the merger of Mediaedge and CiaMedianetwork.
He is also a member of the Mediaedge:cia global executive committee, and has played a large part in the company's communications planning and implementation strategies.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .