Bangkok, Thailand – Publicis Groupe Thailand is moving its leadership structure to a co-CEO one, with current CEO Songkran Sethesompobe joined by Sorada Sonprasit, currently CEO of Brilliant & Million, and Paruj Daorai, currently Managing Director of Digitas Thailand.
The move to a co-CEO structure in the market is in line with the scale of the Groupe’s business in Thailand, aligned with the ambition in the coming years to make Thailand a real focus for Groupe transformation and acceleration, as well as representative of the potential in Southeast Asia of Thailand as a market.
Both Sorada and Paruj will report to Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Publicis Groupe, Singapore & Southeast Asia. The appointment is effective 1 June with the outgoing CEO overlapping for a smooth transition till the end of June.
Sonprasit started Brilliant & Million after an illustrious career working with companies like American Express and Citibank. Always ahead of her time, she saw a huge opportunity for digital in 2007 and started Brilliant & Million. And in 2018 once again saw the immense potential of taking the agency to the next level by integrating Brilliant & Million into Publicis Groupe.
Meanwhile, Dorai began his career in advertising as a copywriter. From a small agency in Bangkok to a degree in graphic design in the US and stints in ad and design firms across the USA, Paruj came home to Bangkok to start the second phase of his career working at D’Arcy (DMB&B), Lowe Bangkok and Ogilvy & Mather Thailand. A move to the Leo Burnett Group Thailand shaped up the third phase of Paruj’s career. Moving from CD to ECD to launching Digitas Thailand.
Lastly, Songkran joined Publicis Groupe as CEO of Leo Burnett Thailand in April 2011. Together with his team, he has led Leo Burnett Thailand to become one of the most recognized and awarded agencies in Thailand. In May 2016, Songkran was appointed Country Head of Publicis Groupe Thailand.
Speaking on the new endeavour, Randhawa said, “I am delighted to see Sorada and Paruj step up into this role. Both are leaders who have been ahead of their time in developing digitally-led services for clients and work really well in partnership with each other, making them a very strong choice as we continue to transform the Groupe and its services in Thailand. I would also like to thank Khun Jod for his many years of service to the Groupe and for building strong relationships with our people and our clients. He is a trusted voice who will be missed.”
