The launch follows a soft rollout in 2025 and formalises the agency’s presence in Singapore as it expands its regional footprint amid growing demand for integrated, culture-led campaigns across Asia-Pacific, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

The move strengthens PLUG’s Hong Kong–Singapore operating model, positioning Singapore as a Southeast Asian hub alongside Hong Kong’s role as a gateway to North Asia and Mainland China. The dual-market structure is intended to balance regional consistency with local cultural relevance.

The Singapore office is led by Managing Director Jolin Ng and operates on an advisory-driven model centred on a senior team structure, giving clients direct access to experienced strategists involved in day-to-day work.

The offering covers PR, influencer strategy, social and content, unified under a single approach focused on linking brand storytelling with commercial outcomes.

Ng brings more than 15 years of experience across the region, having held senior roles at Hill+Knowlton Strategies and AKA Asia and most recently serving as General Manager of W Communications Singapore. She has led campaigns for brands including Hilton APAC, Hong Kong Disneyland, New World Development, SK-II Global, and Tinder APAC.

She first joined PLUG in Hong Kong in 2018 and has maintained an ongoing relationship with the agency, with the Singapore launch extending that cross-market collaboration.

Commenting on the launch, Ng said, “The industry tends to organise itself around channels, but people don’t engage that way. At PLUG, we build ideas that move fluidly across culture, media and everyday moments. In Singapore, we’re applying that thinking to help brands build genuine connections with their community, not just collect them.” 

Since its soft launch, PLUG Singapore has worked on campaigns for Stroke Support Station (S3), Play Nation and Thekchen Choling Singapore, alongside brands including Airbnb, Driscoll’s and Pizza Hut.

Founded in Hong Kong in 2007, PLUG is co-led by Founder and Managing Director Lara Jefferies and Executive Director Alex Zenovic and now operates across Hong Kong and Singapore with more than 30 specialists across PR, strategy, creative, content, digital and social disciplines.

“Expanding from Hong Kong to Singapore with Jolin, whom we’ve worked with for years, is a natural evolution. She brings deep experience in both cities, an analytical mind, fantastic connections and an innate understanding of the PLUG culture and passion for our work,” said Jefferies. “With our expertise across both markets, we’re able to connect communities, unlock new collaborations and help brands operate more fluidly across Asia.” 

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The Singapore studio includes a 5.4m x 2.8m LED wall and marks the agency’s second studio investment in the region, following its Kuala Lumpur office. It houses the Pacific Creative Hub (PCH), a production team specialising in creative design, UI/UX, website development and video production.

The new office occupies approximately 6,000 sq ft on level 7 of Orchard Gateway @ Emerald and includes floor-to-ceiling windows, a fully equipped studio, and multiple meeting rooms. It is designed to accommodate future team expansion.

The Singapore facility forms part of TEAM LEWIS’ wider network of global studios, supporting a “follow-the-sun” production model that enables collaboration across time zones for international clients.

Pamela Tor Das, VP of TEAM LEWIS Singapore and Emerging Markets, said, “This new Singapore office is a major step forward for our team and clients. With a purpose-built creative studio, we can collaborate faster, produce at a higher level, and bring integrated ideas to life under one roof. Just as importantly, it strengthens how we operate across the region, and we continue to deepen our capabilities and investment in Indonesia, where we see strong momentum and growing demand.”

She added, “This move reflects our ambition to expand our talent, broaden our specialist vertical expertise, and deliver more impact for brands that want to lead in a fast-changing landscape.” 

The office move also aligns with the agency’s global expansion into new service verticals, including defence, energy and healthcare.

For more than a decade, TEAM LEWIS has provided services in Singapore spanning research and analytics, public relations, creative, social media, digital marketing, brand reputation, corporate communications and crisis management.

Keso Kendall, SVP of TEAM LEWIS APAC, said, “As we open the doors to our new Singapore office, we’re making a clear statement about the future we’re building in APAC. This space is designed for the way modern communications work: fast, visual, content-led and always-on.”

Kendall continued, “With a state-of-the-art studio at its core, it’s a tangible investment in creativity and craft, so we can create, produce and amplify standout work for our clients in real time. Just as importantly, the additional capacity gives us room to scale our global practice areas, including Defence, Healthcare and Energy, from Singapore as a regional hub.” 

TEAM LEWIS Singapore continues to deliver integrated campaigns across multiple channels, with clients including Audi Singapore, CapitaLand Malls, Pizza Hut and SportSG.

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In her new role, Jojo will oversee the Hong Kong market and support selected regional initiatives across APAC and, where relevant, globally.

The promotion reflects her leadership in driving operational excellence, strengthening client servicing standards, and building high-performing teams across flagship accounts.

She will also take on expanded responsibilities covering agency operations, AI-led innovation, and financial stewardship, aimed at supporting sustainable growth and raising the standard of MSL’s work. The role forms part of the agency’s broader leadership expansion to support its next phase of growth and transformation in line with Publicis Groupe Hong Kong’s vision.

Commenting on her new role, Jojo said, “Social isn’t just where I started my career — it’s where I’ve seen the biggest shift in how brands connect with people. Today, it’s no longer an add-on or an amplifier; it has the power to lead, shape narratives, and drive the entire communications journey.”

She added, “At MSL, we challenge the idea that communications should be confined to formats. Our social-led approach is about building ideas from where culture and conversations happen, then scaling them beyond channels — earned, shared, and owned. As we look ahead, this mindset will be central to how we help brands stay relevant, influential, and connected in an increasingly fragmented landscape.”

The appointment takes effect immediately following an internal announcement on Monday, May 10. She will report directly to Miuson Chi, General Manager and Executive Creative Director of MSL Hong Kong.

Miuson Chi said, “Jojo has spent the past few years pushing MSL Hong Kong to raise its game—operationally, creatively and in how we show up for flagship clients—turning restless talent and bold thinking into work people don’t see coming but can’t ignore.”

“In a social‑led agency that experiments with new forms of storytelling, her promotion to executive director is a natural step as we nurture leaders who push our vision further and shape our next chapter.”

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Previously serving as the agency’s Chief Operating Officer, Cynthia brings more than 20 years of experience in media and marketing, with expertise across brand strategy, organisational management, and business growth.

Cynthia joined PHD in 2021 as Managing Director and has since overseen initiatives focused on strengthening client partnerships, expanding the agency’s business offerings, and improving cross-functional collaboration. She has also worked closely with brands across multiple sectors as PHD China expanded its market presence.

“PHD China is driving the next phase of evolution for clients by harnessing our connected capabilities across data, technology, strategy, and content to solve their most critical business challenges,” Cynthia said. “We look forward to continuing to help brands outthink, outpace, and outgrow the competitive landscape and build sustainable growth.”

Her appointment follows a period of business growth for PHD China, supported by Omni, Omnicom Media Group’s data and intelligence platform.

Commenting on the appointment, Joey Zhao, Chief Operating Officer at Omnicom Media China, said, “Cynthia is an exceptional leader with strong commercial acumen who has consistently driven client growth, strengthened business collaboration, and built high-performing teams.”

He added, “As China’s media landscape becomes increasingly integrated and AI-powered, we are confident that Cynthia’s leadership will accelerate PHD China’s data and technology capabilities, grow the agency’s talent pool, and unlock the next phase of growth for our clients.”

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Duy Anh Nguyen returns to Publicis Groupe Vietnam as General Manager, where he will oversee strategic business leadership for key clients. He previously spent more than a decade with the group before joining Piaggio Vietnam as head of marketing.

Meanwhile, Kim Ngan Nguyen has been promoted to General Manager at Leo Vietnam after previously serving as business director.

Kate Bayona-Garcia, CEO at Publicis Groupe Vietnam, said, ‘DuyAnh returns to Publicis Groupe Vietnam, only this time his client-side tenure gives him an invaluable edge in driving creative excellence and commercial results for our clients. As for Kim Ngan, she has spent most of her 12-year career within Publicis Groupe and epitomises our approach to nurturing leaders from within. We are combining the best talents to accelerate our clients’ transformation and create work that makes us proud.” 

The agency has also appointed Thiti ‘Moss’ Boonkerd as ECD at Leo Vietnam. He relocates from Leo Thailand, where he held the role of Deputy ECD. 

During his time at Leo Thailand, Boonkerd worked on campaigns that received recognition at international award shows, including a Cannes Lions Gold in 2024. 

Paolo Garcia, Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Groupe Vietnam, added, “Moss brings exactly the kind of creative firepower we need to keep pushing Leo Vietnam forward. We know what he’s capable of, but what excites me most is everything we haven’t made yet. I can’t wait to see what we build together.”

Boonkerd’s transfer is also part of Publicis Moves, the group’s internal mobility programme launched in 2025 to support talent movement across its APAC network spanning 14 markets and multiple agency brands and capabilities.

All three appointments take effect immediately.

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With more than two decades of experience in the creative and marketing industry, Sumedi is known for developing brand narratives and leading multidisciplinary teams to produce work across platforms. 

In his new role, he will oversee cross-functional collaboration across the organisation, bringing together creative, strategy, and execution to deliver integrated solutions for clients.

According to Marlina Lim, CEO of Leverate Group, the appointment reflects the agency’s ongoing efforts to evolve its operating model and expand its impact.

“Dinʼs appointment marks a defining moment in how we evolve our integrated model and continue our journey of purposeful growth,” Marlina said. “At Leverate, we believe creativity must work hand-in-hand with media and technology to drive real impact. Din brings a perspective and leadership that will help us create ideas that move both culture and business forward in Indonesia and beyond.”

Sumedi said the role presents an opportunity to further integrate creativity with data and execution as the agency continues to develop its offering.

“Leverate Group has built a strong reputation for delivering impactful marketing solutions. What excites me is the opportunity to take this a step further by integrating creativity, data, and execution to produce work that is compelling and effective. I look forward to collaborating and shaping the next phase of growth for both the agency and our partners.”

The appointment forms part of Leverate Group’s broader plans to strengthen its leadership team while advancing its ambition of becoming a leading integrated agency in Southeast Asia.

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Michael brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing and communications across corporate and media organisations in Asia-Pacific, Australia and the UK. Her background spans integrated marketing, brand positioning and multi-market communications leadership.

She joins from Omnicom Media, where she most recently served on its APAC leadership team as head of brand marketing. Prior to that, she was chief marketing and communications officer at IPG Mediabrands for nine years.

Earlier in her career, Michael held roles at Zenith in London, The Walt Disney Company, and The Financial Times. She also took on agency leadership positions across Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore within Interpublic Group and Omnicom Media.

The newly created CCO role reflects Publicis Groupe APAC’s focus on strengthening its regional communications capability as it continues to position itself as a business transformation partner under its “Power of One” model.

Michael said, “I’ve been impressed by the strength and maturity of the Publicis Groupe business model. Having invested ahead of the curve into AI, data, and real transformation at scale, their clarity of vision has translated into a powerful engine that consistently achieves undeniable results.”

She added, “The creation of this role reflects both the scale of growth within the APAC region and the ambition for what comes next. I’m so thrilled to join the leadership team in APAC at such a defining moment, as we celebrate 100 years of Publicis Groupe, and help to shape the next century of transformation! ”

Based in Singapore, Michael will report to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Asia-Pacific at Publicis Groupe. Her appointment takes effect on 9 March 2026.

Commenting on the appointment, Jane said, “Naomi is a leader with warmth and conviction who understands that communications play a fundamental role in building belief, alignment and momentum across a region as diverse as ours.”

She continued, “With her regional experience and collaborative approach, she will be a crucial partner as we continue to grow clients’ brands and business, launch proprietary solutions created by and for our APAC community, and bring positive impact to the communities where we operate. I’m delighted to welcome her to our APAC leadership team.” 

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The multi-year strategic plan, branded ‘Elevate28’, represents the most significant structural shift at WPP in decades. At its core is a move away from a traditional holding company model to operate as a single, unified company designed to simplify decision-making, integrate capabilities and improve execution.

Announcing the plan, Cindy Rose OBE, chief executive officer of WPP, said:

“Today we are unveiling a bold plan for a simpler, more integrated WPP. Our intention is to stabilise the business, return to organic growth, create capacity to invest in the future and deliver attractive returns for our shareholders.”

She added that recent underperformance stemmed from “excessive organisational complexity, a lack of an integrated operating model and inconsistent strategic execution”, stressing that these were “within our power to fix”.

From holding group to single operating model

Under Elevate28, WPP will consolidate into four core operating units: WPP Media, WPP Creative, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, structured across North America, Latin America, EMEA and APAC.

The objective is to present clients with a fully integrated offer spanning media, creative, production and enterprise transformation — all connected through WPP Open, the company’s AI-powered marketing platform.

The strategy is anchored on four pillars:

• Deliver superior growth for clients, with media and data at the centre of an integrated proposition
  
• Simplify the operating model and strengthen go-to-market execution
  
• Unlock the advantage of WPP Open, including its Open Intelligence data layer
  
• Create firm financial foundations, including £500m in annualised gross cost savings by 2028
  

A new standalone unit, WPP Enterprise Solutions, will bring together customer experience, commerce, CRM, content transformation and technology capabilities, targeting growing demand for AI-driven business transformation.

Three phases to 2028

The transformation will unfold in three stages:

Phase 1 – Stabilise (2026): Focus on improving net new business performance, executing initial cost savings and rationalising the portfolio. WPP aims to deliver £250m in gross run-rate savings by the end of 2026.

Phase 2 – Build (2027): Embed the new operating model and go-to-market structure, with a targeted return to organic growth during the year.

Phase 3 – Accelerate (2028 onwards): Position WPP as a lower-cost, AI-enabled business with improved margins, stronger cash conversion and sustained organic growth.

To achieve £500m in annualised savings, WPP expects around £400m in restructuring cash costs over two years. A significant portion of savings will be reinvested into high-growth areas such as media, commerce, production and enterprise AI capabilities, while the remainder will support margin recovery.

Financial backdrop

The overhaul comes amid weaker 2025 performance. WPP reported revenue of £13.55bn, down 3.6% like-for-like, with revenue less pass-through costs falling 5.4% LFL. Headline operating margin declined to 13.0%, reflecting lower revenues and restructuring costs.

For 2026, WPP expects like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs to decline in the mid-to-high single digits in the first half before improving in the second half. Headline operating margin is forecast at 12–13% as the company invests in restructuring and growth initiatives.

Despite the near-term pressure, WPP reiterated its commitment to maintaining an investment-grade balance sheet. The board has proposed a final dividend of 7.5p, bringing the full-year dividend to 15.0p, which it intends to maintain in 2026.

Notably, in 2025, WPP faced significant headwinds, including declining performance, high-profile client losses, and the departure of several key executives across the company and its subsidiaries.

Resetting for AI-era growth

Elevate28 positions WPP to compete in a marketing landscape reshaped by AI, changing client demands and macro volatility. By collapsing structural silos and integrating media, creativity, production and enterprise technology under a single operating model, WPP is seeking to shift from a federation of agencies to a unified growth partner.

WPP’s focus on AI integration and unified capabilities mirrors a broader industry transformation. Havas, for example, has committed roughly €400 million into its Converged.AI strategy, embedding AI across targeting, analytics, content personalisation and creative production while partnering with AI infrastructure providers to accelerate agentic solutions across its network, not just for specialist teams but for general delivery workflows. 

Meanwhile, Publicis Groupe has moved to broaden its data and AI footprint through deals such as the acquisition of Lotame, aimed at bolstering its identity and data capabilities, and by integrating generative AI via expanded partnerships with firms like Adobe Firefly across its CoreAI platform to scale personalised creative production and media activation.

These competitive benchmarks underscore a common strategic theme among major holding groups: building integrated AI‑enabled systems that combine data infrastructure, creative tools and workflow automation — a landscape WPP is aiming to navigate with Elevate28 and its agentic WPP Open platform. 

As Rose put it:

“The momentum we are seeing from the decisive action we’ve already taken gives me the confidence that we’re on the right path to creating a WPP that is fit for the future and built to win.”

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Under the new structure, Gareth Mulryan, CEO of Publicis Groupe Japan, takes on an expanded role as CEO of Publicis Groupe JSK. He will work closely with Nicole Roe, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Korea. Mulryan also joins the Publicis Groupe Asia-Pacific executive committee and continues to report to Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Asia-Pacific, Publicis Groupe.

Commenting on the announcement, Mulryan said, “Our clients increasingly operate seamlessly across Japan and South Korea and expect the same from their agency partners. By working more closely as one region, we can combine Japan’s experience in transformation, data and connected media with South Korea’s world-class creativity and cultural influence to drive even stronger outcomes for clients.”

The two markets together account for a combined population of around 175 million and more than US$70 billion in advertising spend, making them one of the largest advertising regions globally. Both are also regarded as influential cultural exporters in Asia and beyond.

The company said the new sub-region responds to increasing demand from multinational clients seeking more integrated and consistent support across Japan and South Korea, while preserving the distinct market strengths of each country. The structure is designed to enhance collaboration and shared capabilities across media, creative, data and technology disciplines, supported by the group’s connected platform and “Power of One” model.

Jane Lin-Baden, CEO, Asia-Pacific at Publicis Groupe, commented, “Japan and South Korea are critically important markets for our global clients and healthcare brands. Both offices are known for strong creative and design capabilities. Both CEOs have achieved very strong business growth in Japan and South Korea in the past few years despite challenging market conditions. By creating the JSK sub-region, we are further strengthening our ability to deliver connected, future-ready solutions at scale.

She added, “Gareth brings deep international experience after working in Europe, Southeast Asia, China and Japan and has a proven track record in partnering with multinational brands. This structure positions us strongly for the next phase of growth in the JSK sub-region.”

With the addition of Japan–South Korea, Publicis Groupe Asia-Pacific now comprises five sub-regions: Greater China, Southeast Asia, Australia & New Zealand, South Asia, and Japan–South Korea.

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Alexander brings over 20 years of experience in client leadership, agency transformation, and media strategy. Known for his collaborative and client-focused approach, he has previously led FCB Media, UM, and Initiative in New Zealand under IPG ownership. 

During his tenure, these agencies achieved record revenue and secured major accounts including Coca-Cola, Nestlé, Chorus, the New Zealand Electoral Commission, and One NZ.

In 2023, Alexander launched Initiative in New Zealand, securing the ASB account within months. FCB Media also became the most awarded media agency in the country under his leadership, winning more than 50 Gold Beacons, including four Best in Show awards and a global WARC Grand Prix for Best Use of Data.

Commenting on the appointment, Nikki Grafton, CEO of OM New Zealand, said, “Securing a leader of Blair’s calibre, with his reputation for trusted client relationships and transformational leadership, was a priority for us. Blair is the ideal choice to bring the full strength of Omnicom’s global capabilities to our OMD clients and partners.”

She added, “His ability to harness technology, global intellectual property, and deep strategic insight — and apply them in ways that is relevant to the New Zealand market — will create significant value for our clients. He is also known for building skilled, loyal teams with a deep understanding of clients’ businesses, which consistently delivers strong commercial outcomes.”

Blair Alexander said, “OMD has been a fierce competitor in New Zealand for several years, with a great long-term track record and exceptional talent. The evolved structure of the team, powered by the collective resources of Omnicom Media, particularly in the AI and tech space, were compelling reasons to lead this team. The ability to unleash this combined capability and create what’s next for our clients has huge potential. Bring it on!”

An announcement regarding Alexander’s successor at McCann, as the FCB Media brand transitions, is expected soon.

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