Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — CIMB Group has appointed Kuala Lumpur-based agency Chariot as a creative partner for its Malaysia brand team, marking one of the most significant creative account wins for an independent Malaysian agency in recent years.
The appointment highlights the growing confidence brands are placing in independent agencies that offer agile thinking, local market understanding and culturally relevant storytelling.
This also reflects a broader shift in the financial services sector, where marketers are increasingly looking beyond traditional agency networks for creative partners.
Moving forward, Chariot will work alongside CIMB’s brand team to develop creative campaigns that better reflect how people across Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region experience wealth, progress and everyday life.
For Chariot, the win represents a major milestone since the agency was established in 2021, with the firm stating that its entrepreneurial approach and focus on authentic, locally grounded storytelling helped differentiate it during the pitch process.
Adrian Cheah, Managing Director at Chariot, described the appointment as a defining moment for the agency.
“This is a defining moment for Chariot and a testament to what independent agencies can achieve when a client values agility over legacy corporate structures. CIMB is an institution that moves at the speed of ASEAN’s ambitions. Because we are independent, we share that exact same entrepreneurial DNA,” explained Cheah.
“We understand the grit it takes to build something from the ground up in these markets. We aren’t looking to deliver safe, predictable banking ads; we are here to do the most audacious work of our careers by capturing how people in this region actually interact with wealth and progress,” added Cheah.
The appointment further strengthens Chariot’s position in Malaysia’s creative industry while signalling growing opportunities for independent agencies to compete for major brand mandates traditionally dominated by global agency networks.
