Tag: Chief Creative Officer

Singapore – Merlee Jayme, currently serving as the chief creative officer for dentsu Asia-Pacific, has announced that she is leaving the company following six years of service from the company. Jayme became part of dentsu when the company acquired her agency Jayme Syfu in 2016.

After joining the network in 2016, she was tasked with co-running the newly formed dentsu McGarrybowen as global co-president with John Dupuis in 2020. Following that role, she was then promoted to chief creative officer for dentsu Asia-Pacific.

Speaking on her departure, she recalls that her main goal with joining dentsu was to upgrade and update her agency’s skills and capabilities with technology and innovation, excel in data and experience, discover the secret to amazing creativity and to belong to an inclusive and diverse community that celebrates cultural differences.

“During these years at dentsu, balancing between building a business and creating life-changing work was tough. But we managed to stay focused, attract great people and clients plus more importantly, create a reputation for work that made a big difference in people’s lives and the world,” she said.

As she leaves the company, she is currently serving as ADFEST’s grand jury head, D&AD’s jury president for Radio and Audio, and one of the Cannes Lions Titanium jury members this June. She plans to continue her initiatives for women in leadership and finally launch her second book titled ‘Chairmom’ in July.

Meanwhile, Fred Levron, global chief creative officer at dentsu, shared, “It has been a joy to get to know Merlee and witness her bring her magical blend of entrepreneurialism, creativity and empathy to the table every day.”

Singapore – dentsu Asia Pacific has appointed Farrokh Madon, former chief creative officer at creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson, to be its new chief creative officer for APAC at B2B-dedicated CXM agency Merkle B2B.

Aside from his previous role at Wunderman Thompson, Madon has a career spanning Singapore, Amsterdam and India, where he has previously led various creative departments in Singapore at BBDO, McCann Erickson, and Y&R, which has been renamed VMLY&R following a merger with VML. He has also worked with major brands including BMW, Lazada, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Gillette, and Caltex, as well as Suntory, and Diageo. 

In his new role, Madon, who will be based in Singapore, will be overseeing Merkle B2B’s creative directions and strategies to impart creative technology solutions and innovative customer experience. He will also be reporting directly to Kiaran Geen, the president of Asia Pacific at Merkle B2B, and Rhys Taylor, the managing director of strategy and creative for APAC at Merkle B2B.

Commenting on his appointment, Madon said, “When storytelling and technology hold hands, magic happens. I am looking forward to creating engaging brand stories and experiences with the talented team at Merkle B2B.”

Meanwhile, Geen shared that Madon will be bringing his wealth of experience and expertise in creativity and design to Merkle B2B with out-of-the-box ideas and digital solutions to their ever-evolving customer journey.

“We look forward to having him on board to share his insights in creating a unique brand experience and bringing it to the next level at Merkle B2B,” said Geen.

Tokyo, Japan – Advertising agency TBWA\HAKUHODO has elevated Takahiro Hosoda to the role of chief creative officer of the agency. He previously served as the agency’s executive creative director for two years.

He takes over Kazoo Sato, who will start in a new role within the TBWA\Collective, to be announced soon. In addition, through Hosoda’s new role, he will be leading a team of over 70 creatives, who share his passion and push for creative disruption.

During his work as the agency’s ECD, he was responsible for some of the agency’s impactful campaigns, such as with Nissan’s Intelligent Parking Chair and Nissan Leaf EV’s technology. He also launched the ‘Disruption® School’ in partnership with industry publication Sendenkaigi. Taka designed the annual series, first launching in 2019, to enable a younger generation of creative talent to learn, practice and evolve the creative discipline.

Speaking about his appointment, he said that they are proud of their ‘Disruption’ mantra, as it challenges them to see the unconventional and bring this thinking into the everyday. He also added that it’s now time to redirect this thinking, and that they are redefining the advertising company to become a creative experience company.

“We are a company of story, design, experience, content, business production, data creativity, and a whole range of expressions and professions that don’t even have a category name yet. No other team has such a sharp collection of creative talent – and no other corporate organisation has so many people who all believe in the value and miracle of creativity. DX, metaverse, Web 3.0; there are many exciting opportunities emerging for businesses and our focus will remain on creating innovative solutions that have a positive impact on business and society,” Hosoda said.

Meanwhile, Chris Iki, chief operating officer at TBWA\HAKUHODO, commented, “Taka is an outstanding creative leader. His unique ability to achieve a high level of collaboration across his teams and client partners helps drive new innovations to meet the needs of changing consumer behaviours. As a result, our clients and agency were in a stronger position to successfully respond to the once in a generation shift brought on by the pandemic.”

He added, “Creativity is an imperative business tool and we’re fortunate TBWA\HAKUHODO has an incredible depth of creative leadership across the board. They’re not only highly awarded, but champions of change, inspiring and motivating their teams to always succeed.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Dentsu International has welcomed back Subun Khow, most recently the head of creative at Publicis Thailand, to its roster as the chief creative officer for dentsu Thailand. Khow previously worked with dentsu in 2012, where he served as chief creative officer for dentsu One in Bangkok. Back then, he was responsible for building creative reputation and enhancing creative thinking to expand client portfolios.

In his new role at dentsu, Khow will be in charge of leading the creative team to deliver integrated creative excellence to clients, while leveraging on data-driven and tech-enabled solutions combined with an idea-led approach. He has also held previously leadership roles at Lowe Bangkok and BBDO, as associate creative director, creative director and executive creative director respectively.

He will report to Narong Tresuchon, CEO of creative of dentsu Thailand, and the appointment is effective from 1 April this year.

Speaking about his appointment, Khow said, “I am thrilled and humbled to be given the opportunity to work with this amazing bunch of creatives at one of the world’s leading agencies. Cultivating a dynamic creative work culture as well as the delivery of the best business outcomes for our clients will be my top priorities and I look forward to working closely with Khun Narong and the rest of the talented creatives at dentsu Thailand to bring this to life.”

Meanwhile, Tresuchon commented that with Subun’s strong track record and expertise, he will lead the creative team in creating innovative work and experience for clients with an emphasis on creative design to connect all channels seamlessly to reach audiences at every touchpoint in line with consumer needs and behaviours.

“I am confident in his management ability to balance corporate values with creative energy and positivity to create an effective creative work culture. Only by empowering people and strengthening creative business strategies can we then achieve significant progress and become the world’s leading integrated communications business service network of the future,” he said.

Sanjay Bhasin, who was recently appointed as the CEO of dentsu Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar, said that Khow is a well-established creative leader who has a thorough understanding of the advertising industry. He also added Khow is a role model for our new generation of creatives and brings with him a positive mindset and attitude.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with him again and I am confident that together with Narong, the duo will be able to take dentsu Thailand’s creative to the next level,” Bhasin concluded.

Lastly, Fred Levron, global chief creative officer at dentsu international, said, “To have Subun back to lead dentsu’s creative business in Thailand is fantastic news. Subun is one of Thailand’s foremost creatives, with extensive experience developing famous work that is celebrated both at home and abroad, and his talent for combining technology and innovation to deliver with his inspired creative vision. I look forward to working with him.”

Singapore — Grey Group, the global advertising and marketing network, has announced the appointment of Davi Sing Liu, previously the regional CCO of Grey Greater China, as Grey’s chief creative officer (CCO) for P&G Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA).

Liu is an established and respected creative who holds over 20 years of extensive experience across multiple geographies. In his previous role as regional CCO, he led the creative output for high-value clients namely Volvo, HSBC, P&G, and Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Prior to joining Grey Group in 2019, he helped build Enso, the Los Angeles-based agency focused on purpose-led brands and projects with new-economy clients such as Google, Medium, Uber, Khan Academy, among others, while also working with innovative startups.

His other creative projects include; first creative director for MakeMake Entertainment, first integrated creative director for Deutsch La, creative director on transmedia projects at Modernista!, and he worked on the Nike campaigns for Japan, China, and APAC for Wieden+Kennedy. Liu also contributed to Wieden+Kennedy TokyoLab, the multi-media music and film label.

Not only is Liu a veteran in the industry, but he is also a decorated creative mind, winning numerous awards at One Show, Effies, the SXSW Interactive, Communication Arts. He has also participated in various juries such as Cannes Lions and D&AD. He is also a member of Grey’s Global creative board.

Based in Shanghai, Liu will be part of Grey’s P&G Global Leadership Team, reporting to Javier Campopiano, worldwide chief creative officer of Grey Group, and working closely with Nirvik Singh, global COO and president international of Grey Group, and John Patroulis, global creative chairman and president, creative businessof Grey Group.

Grey Group’s worldwide CCO Campopiano said, “Our constant commitment to the creative product and famously effective work requires focusing the best talent into our biggest clients. Grey and P&G have a long history of world-class, award-winning work. Davi´s arrival is key to ensure that we keep honouring that legacy with exciting work for such a highly competitive and innovative region.”

Singh, commented on the Lius appointment, saying, “Davi brings meaningful cultural insights to contemporary, purpose-led creative work. His appointment emphasises the importance we place on game-changing creativity to achieve growth for our clients – I look forward to seeing even more ‘famously effective’ work from our P&G AMEA Borderless Studio.”

Meanwhile, Patroulis shared, “We are always looking for new and better ways to bring the full power of creativity to the work that moves our client’s business forward. Creating the first CCO role to focus solely on P&G AMEA is meant to do just that. And in Davi we have a passionate, deeply creative, entirely empathetic leader the role deserves, so we couldn’t be more excited.”

Commenting on his appointment, Liu shared he is always grateful for a role that leverages creativity and innovation to serve not only clients and brands but the people they reach.

“It’s an exceptional time in our world and industry to work on brands and their products that affect everyday lives. I hope to be useful in making an impact with our partners across the P&G work,” Liu said.

Liu will partner with Sarah Trombetta, chief client officer for WPP/Grey P&G AMEA, to set the creative vision, direction, and ambition for P&G’s portfolio of iconic brands across the region.

New York, USA – Mediabrands Content Studio (MBCS), the global content studio by IPG Mediabrands, has appointed Alfonso Marian, former chairman at creative agency Ogilvy Spain, to be its new global chief executive officer (CEO) and chief creative officer (COO).

Prior to his recent role at Ogilvy, Marian has served as the agency’s global creative director for customer engagement and e-commerce, and has spent more than a decade in senior creative and directorial roles for the agency and within its global operations. 

In his new role, Marian, who will report to Brendan Gaul, the global chief content chief officer at Mediabrands and the global president at Mediabrands’ film and television studio TRAVERSE32, will be spearheading the growing global scope of MBCS which will expand from its original focus on 12 key markets to 20 territories in the coming year. These additional locations will further enable the studio to offer Mediabrands’ clients greater unique market insights and enhanced support for local, regional, and global content campaigns.

Commenting on his appointment, Marian said that he is excited to be a part of MBCS at such a pivotal time in the company’s genesis.

“MBCS is not only leading a movement that will forever change the media and content landscape but evinces Mediabrands’ commitment to understanding how the brave new world of content is moving audiences emotionally, moving ideas across media plans, and most importantly, moving client KPIs and sales,” said Marian.

Meanwhile, Gaul shared that Marian has a reputation for producing brilliant work, being laser-focused on client success and the ability to build supportive teams.

“I’m thrilled that he’s joining MBCS as we build the content studio of the future, a best-in-class agency that offers clients extraordinary creative services using a media-first approach. Alfonso brings extensive agency leadership credentials and is also a visionary leader who uniquely understands how media moves creative forward,” said Gaul. 

MBCS said that its forward-looking move marks a deeper commitment by media holding company, IPG Mediabrands, to broaden the scale and scope of content offerings that they can provide for clients across the network. It comes as more access to addressability, more opportunities for media platform creativity and more connections to the creator economy increasingly impact how brand stories are told and content is made in the world today.

Philippines – Joe Dy, a multi-awarded creative leader with almost two decades of experience in the creatives industry, returns to creative and CRM agency Wunderman Thompson as its new chief creative officer in the Philippines.

Dy had been with Wunderman Thompson, then a part of J. Walter Thompson’s leadership team back from 2012 to 2014, in which he helped the team win a Gold Lion and acquire a foothold in some of their biggest clients today. 

Most recently, Dy has held the same position of chief creative officer at integrated marketing communications firm Mccann Worldgroup Philippines, where he helped guide the agency into becoming one of the most awarded agencies in Asia. Dy has led his team to win Gold Lion at Cannes and the country’s first three Golds at the APAC Effies, along with several other honours. 

In his new role, Dy will be partnering with Wunderman Thompson’s CEO Golda Roldan in steering the business and driving its growth engine from the creative end.

Commenting on his return to the agency, Dy said, “I’ll always be thankful for the trust, opportunities, and growth I received, and I hope to bring some of that experience when I rejoin Wunderman Thompson. Wunderman Thompson has already been doing some really good work in the past couple of years and I’m really excited to see what we can achieve together.” 

Roldan shared that a lot of what the agency has achieved the last few years was built on foundations that he and Dy helped establish under their late mentor and friend, former J. Walter Thompson’s CCO Dave Ferrer. 

“My intention was to bring in a leader from a big agency who can help us as we grow. Someone with a solid creative reputation, who would fit our culture, who has a passion for great work, for awards, for the business and most importantly for the people. And Dy fits all the criteria perfectly,” said Roldan.

Wunderman Thompson said that the move will also see Dy reuniting with former teammates and fellow ‘Creative Guild Hall of Famers’, Wunderman Thompson’s ECD Brandie Tan and Deputy ECD Tin Sanchez, forming a solid creative leadership team.

“We go way back, and the chance to collaborate with them again was a major factor in my decision. I’m thrilled to be teaming up with two strong, well-renowned and well-travelled creative leaders who share my drive and passion for great work,” said Dy.

Bangkok, Thailand – Brand experience agency VMLY&R in Thailand has appointed Anuwat Nitipanont as its newest chief creative officer, effective 1 January this year. He will be reporting directly to Yupin Muntzing, chief executive officer at VMLY&R Thailand, and joins a regional team of creative leaders headed up by Valerie Madon, chief creative officer for Asia at VMLY&R.

He was most recently the chief creative officer at BBDO Bangkok, where he had a reputation for creating innovative brand experiences. He is renowned for notable works that aim to find new, simple solutions for brands, people, and society. In addition to his wide range of experience, he also served as jury at the likes of Cannes Lions, One Show, Clio, LIA and Spikes Asia, Adfest, and Ad Stars.

Speaking about his appointment, Nitipanont said, “Through what I’ve learnt across multiple disciplines, I truly believe that creativity together with technology and data, inspire and augment the power of business solutions. VMLY&R is great fit with my beliefs, being an agency that creates connected brands by harnessing creativity, technology, and culture.”

Meanwhile, Muntzing stated, “At VMLY&R Thailand, we have always prided ourselves on our creative strength. With Anuwat as Chief Creative Officer, our amazing creative team now has a leader to inspire them further, driving effective and innovative works. He perfectly complements our exciting agency model combining brand experience, customer experience and commerce.

In addition, Madon commented, “Anuwat’s winning track-record speaks for itself, but his industry contribution is even more telling. Judging at awards, mentoring young talent, and his commitment to programmes like Cannes Young Lions are all about celebrating and nurturing the future of creativity – values we hold very dear here at VMLY&R.”

Bangkok, Thailand – Thasorn Boonyanate, a creative veteran with over a decade of experience in the advertising and creatives industry, returns to BBDO Bangkok as its new chief creative officer.

The seasoned ad leader, who is also a musician, became part of the agency in his humble beginnings as a copywriter in 2021. In 2016, he moved to Shanghai and became BBDO Shanghai’s creative director. Boonyanate most recently comes from Wunderman Thompson as ECD. 

Boonyanate shared that the most important thing to an agency is when brands give enough playground and creative space in the collaboration. 

“This model also applies to how an agency team works together as well. Whenever you build trust among your teams, giving a “playground space for a brief” to planners, a “playground of negotiation and partnership” to client service teams, and a “playground of creativity” to creatives, then we will create work that all of us can feel proud as one team,” said Boonyanate.

Meanwhile, with the emergence of the metaverse world, Somkiat Larptanunchaiwong, CEO of BBDO Bangkok, believes that Boonyanate can help drive BBDO Bangkok to this up-and-coming world. 

“For BBDO Bangkok, creative is the heart and soul for creating smart and clever solutions for our clients. We need new energy that drives, motivates, and builds momentum for the Thai creative industry and Pete is the one. He is a leader of this new generation, a powerful creative, with a love of fresh work and fresh insight, hungry for the best work not only for awards but for real client solutions. He’s the one who pushes a local client to the global stage case by case… I believe this change will create excitement for the Thai advertising business indeed,” said Larptanunchaiwong.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Global advertising agency company Publicis Groupe in Malaysia has announced two new senior appointments namely Emir Shafri as chief creative officer and Andrew Michau as chief strategy officer. Both internal promotions will take effect immediately.

Shafri will drive the company’s creative ambition, while Michau enhances the company’s integrated, and data-led approach to connected solutions. Providing their expertise to clients in the region, both appointees will report to Neil Hudspeth, CEO at Publicis Groupe Malaysia and global client leader for APAC.

Shafri first joined the agency in 2019 as an executive creative director and has since been instrumental in elevating creative products and helping some big brands win in this platform world. As the new chief creative officer, he will develop and head creative communications, bringing together brand-building ideas with a modern approach. Prior to returning to Malaysia, he was previously Y&R Singapore’s head of digital.

Speaking about his promotion, he said, “It’s been a refreshing experience working alongside and learning from some of the most talented thinkers, storytellers, artists, digital tinkerers, customer experience builders as well as data and human insights detectives over the past few years. I’m excited to write our next chapter with this amazing team by bringing together their diverse skills to help businesses solve their most pressing problems with creativity.”

Regarding his appointment, Hudspeth said, “Emir’s passion, humankind, and commitment have enriched our most important asset – our people. He is driven by his love for understanding human behaviour, asking “what if” and crafting experiences with the alchemy of technology, creativity and humanity. I am confident that as my creative partner, we will continue to grow and succeed, not only business-wise, but also in terms of expanding our capabilities in CX and innovation to support our clients’ growth acceleration and creative ambitions.”

Meanwhile, Michau’s new role means he will drive diverse thinking and functional insights across teams, thereby promoting a culture that delivers extraordinary work. As the company evolves to better integrate a broader strategy and insights team, Andrew will continue to drive and lead strategy for clients, while maintaining close relationships with them.

Speaking on his new role, he said, “I am extremely proud to be asked to lead such a talented team of strategists, analysts and transformation specialists. I look forward to accelerating our strategic growth agenda with our clients and continuing to help our teams across our enviable portfolio to deliver world classwork.”

On Michau’s new role, Hudspeth said, “Andrew’s passion for crafting well-thought-through narratives with increasingly data-fuelled intelligence is highly valued and appropriate, and I am confident that working closely with the rest of the incredible talent we have in our Strategy & Insights team, our agency proposition will go from strength to strength.”