Tag: Head of Business

Singapore – WE! Interactive, digital agency specializing in brand engagement solutions, has appointed Patrick Ong as its new head of business. Ong is most recently the country head for Singapore at Vamp, the platform for influencer marketing. 

With over 20 years of experience in building the commercial business of various media owners and publishers, Ong brings a wealth of expertise and a proven track record of success to the agency. 

In his previous role at Vamp, he played an integral part in driving regional revenue targets by providing strategic and creative solutions to client objectives. His deep understanding of influencer marketing and social content, coupled with his ability to exceed industry benchmarks and brand expectations, positions him as a leader in the field. 

Prior to Vamp, Ong served as the head of business development at The Nas Company (Nas Daily), where he played a pivotal role in establishing key business partner relationships, developing revenue plans, and expanding the sales pipeline with clients. His contributions also led to the successful onboarding of Nas Studios onto top media agencies’ vendor lists and breakthrough collaborations with renowned brands such as Unilever, Lazada, Changi Airport Group, and Singapore Power Group. 

With his extensive experience in the industry, Patrick is poised to take WE! Interactve to new heights, remarked the agency. 

In Ong’s own words, “I am thrilled to join a team that leads the way in innovation and creativity. Together, we will drive digital excellence, shape the future of brand engagement, and deliver exceptional results. With WE! Interactve’s impressive 12-year track record and collaboration with renowned brands in Singapore and the Asia Pacific, I am honored to be part of such a talented and forward-thinking team. I look forward to leveraging my expertise to contribute to the agency’s success and expansion. With aggressive growth plans, we are poised to expand our reach and capabilities, driving innovation and delivering outstanding results for our clients. Together, we will shape the future of brand engagement in this evolving digital landscape.” 

Matthew Lim, CEO of WE! Interactive, expressed his enthusiasm for Ong’s appointment, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome Patrick to our team. His extensive experience and proven track record in the industry make him the perfect fit for our agency’s growth plans. With Patrick’s strategic vision and expertise, we are confident that WE! Interactive will continue to drive digital excellence and deliver exceptional results for our clients. We look forward to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead.” 

Singapore – Google Cloud has announced the appointment of Mark Micallef as its new head of business for Southeast Asia. In his new role, Micallef will be in charge of establishing regional strategy, team building, and overall revenue performance, as well as working with teams throughout Google and supporting clients in transforming their businesses and industries.

With leadership roles held at Anaplan, Cloudera, Citrix, and Trend Micro, Mark Micallef brings a great deal of expertise to Google Cloud. Mark has led multiple organisations in Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Greater China, India, and Korea towards growth and scalability with his over 28 years of technical, sales, and managerial experience.

According to Karan Bajwa, vice president for Asia-Pacific at Google Cloud, Southeast Asia continues to be one of Google Cloud’s major and rapidly developing regions internationally. 

“We are excited to welcome a leader with a growth mindset and deep appreciation for the diverse needs across markets, as we continue to empower organisations to achieve transformative outcomes with best-in-class, AI-infrastructure, Mark joins us at a time when technology advancements are giving this region the opportunity to leapfrog into the AI economy, just as it became a digital and mobile-first economy that’s on track to be worth more than US$300 billion by 2025,” he said.

Speaking on his role, Micallef said, “With the current momentum surrounding AI, especially generative AI, business leaders want to know how they can make the most of this technology to transform their operations, disrupt industries, and realise new growth opportunities.” 

He added, “I’m thrilled to be joining a company that’s been at the forefront of this field for over two decades, and to be leading a highly talented team across Southeast Asia as we enable organisations of all sizes to innovate quickly, securely, and responsibly with enterprise-grade cloud AI models, platforms, and products suites.”

Recently, Google Cloud developed collaborations with the Singaporean government, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). These alliances seek to promote AI research in Singapore and encourage the globalisation of Singapore-developed AI solutions globally.

India – Advertising agency DDB Mudra Group has appointed Aniruddha Deb, former senior vice president and executive business director at Wunderman Thompson, to be its new executive vice president and head of business for North. 

In his new role, Deb will be overseeing the integrated business between DDB Mudra and 22feet Tribal Worldwide in the North office.

Deb brings with him more than 19 years of brand stewardship experience in advertising and marketing. He has worked with global brands like Unilever, Nestle, Wipro, Samsung, LG, HSBC, and Vodafone, as well as KFC, and Subway. Aside from his recent stint at Wunderman Thompson, Deb has served as the chief marketing officer at smartphone brand Mobiistar. He has also worked with agencies such as Ogilvy, Publicis Groupe and Cheil Worldwide.

Deb shared that what got him is the company’s constant endeavour to grow and build great brands through recognisable and effective creative work and the ability and eagerness to provide integrated solutions irrespective of the kind of business they hold. 

“It really excites me to come on board and lead client partnerships across mainline and digital. I hope to play a significant part in the Group’s ongoing growth journey,” said Deb

Meanwhile, Ashutosh Sawhney, DDB Mudra Group’s managing partner for North, commented, “Aniruddha’s appointment is in sync with this growing need as he complements both these skill sets with aplomb and has a keen appreciation of what is effective, creative work. We’re excited to see what the future of this hybrid model at the group holds with him on board.”

Just recently, DDB Mudra Group has elevated Vanaja Pillai to be its new head of diversity, inclusion, and impact. She will be working on initiatives to grow a diverse and inclusive workplace, including talent acquisition, retention, training, and outreach to talent in underrepresented communities.