Tag: Jiravara Virayavardhana

Jiravara Virayavardhana, the chief executive of Ogilvy Thailand, bags an award to be one of MARKETECH APAC’s ‘Empowered Women in Agency’. The recognition initiative, Empowered Women Awards 2023, is an inaugural effort to honour empowered women leaders in the industry.

The Ogilvy veteran started her journey with the firm when she joined the team in Thailand in 1995. From there on, she has been elevated to various senior positions such as being the managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations for 8 years and managing director of Ogilvy Thailand since January 2016. It was in November 2022 that when she was inducted into the chief executive position.

Creating campaigns that bring ‘real impact for real life’

In 2022, economic conditions in Thailand brought a mix of challenges to businesses, and advertising firms such as Ogilvy Thailand, were let off the hook. In order to cushion its businesses with brands, the agency went the route of ‘creating real impact for real life’. 

As the company’s chief executive, Jiravara led her team into adopting said practice of delivering meaningful impact through creative force, and these were manifested in three areas – people, planet, and performance. 

The company’s growth strategy for 2022 is to regenerate growth by making real impact on creativity, operations, talent, clients, and new business. As a true empowered woman, several campaigns that brought positive influence to society were crafted under Jiravara’s watch. 

One would be the campaign for the Miss Universe ‘Force for Good’ crown which marked a new era of the Miss Universe brand that continued to support diverse women to realize their ambitions. Amongst other campaigns under her leadership is the Culture to Commerce campaign for Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) which championed a new form of sustainable virtual tourism. 

The four features that Jiravara swears her leadership by 

Not everyone can say that they have grown to be veterans in their fields via an enduring tenure. Jiravara’s loyalty to Ogilvy has shaped a leadership that’s unique and holistic to the renowned advertising network. 

Her approach to leading a team can be described in four aspects – being a cheerleader, a firefighter, a conductor, and a psychiatrist. To be a good leader, Jiravara believes that one must consistently be at the frontline in rallying one’s team to success. Meanwhile, when real challenges arise, a leader must suit up with a firefighter stance. Firefighters don’t fear the blazing fire in front of them and makes sure everyone is safe under one’s command.

Next, Jiravara as a leader is also a good conductor. At work, everyone must work in harmony, and as a conductor, she knows how to bring the best in each player. Finally, Jiravara says it is important for a leader to also act like a helpful psychiatrist – someone who’s sensitive and empathetic enough to perceive when one’s team is being challenged mentally and physically in their wellness.  

“The great power doesn’t come from muscles. The heart gives us all strengths,” she said.

Working hard as an industry ally

Jiravara’s passion for the creative craft goes beyond the Ogilvy bounds. As a true ally, she has been invited to notable industry conventions and even regulatory councils to represent the industry and create meaningful impact. 

She was once invited to represent female leadership in the agency field at Global Summit of Women 2022, the high-profile convention of leading women from around the world. In it, she imparted her valuable experiences in transforming traditional PR to performance PR. 

Jiravara had also been part of the Superbrand Thailand Council. Together with this group, she was tasked with the elusive mission of seizing and creating new opportunities in business in a more sustainable way as Superbrand is committed to creating impact not just for their own performance but for the people and the planet.

The marketing leader comments, “No matter who you are, just let your heart powerfully conquer what you want to achieve.”

Aside from Jiravara, check out who else made it to Empowered Women Awards 2023 Winners’ list.

Bangkok, Thailand – Ogilvy Thailand has elevated Jiravara Virayavardhana, formerly its managing director, to be its new chief executive. She will be overseeing all aspects of business performance, people management, and client relationships for the company, as well as implementing the strategic direction of creativity that will be powered by data and technology. 

Virayavardhana first joined Ogilvy Thailand in 1995 and has been promoted to various senior positions. She brings with her wide experience in handling various blue chip international and local clients across industries, from consumer goods, food and nutrition, retail, health, beauty, fashion, and technology, as well as cooperation with large government agencies and NGOs. 

Throughout the past 27 years that she’s been with Ogilvy, the agency said she has demonstrated a profound understanding of clients’ brands and businesses and has always been able to use creativity, data, and technology to turn challenges into achievements, enabling phenomenal success and impact on clients’ organisations, people, and society.

Commenting on her elevation, Virayavardhana said that she is very pleased and honoured to be at the helm of Ogilvy Thailand. She further shared that for her and all Ogilvy people, what makes them different is their unique ability to use creativity to solve their clients’ problems – from the way they discover insights to the way they produce their works.

She added, “What I aim to do under this new role is to spread this belief to our clients and partners. Faced with today’s challenges, we could not simply rely on the same strategies and tactics to help us get by. We need to differentiate ourselves through our work and transform the ways we do our business.” 

“To help our clients at a challenging time, we will focus on making works that create an impact in three, vital areas – Impact for People: showing how the products and services make people’s lives better and easier. Impact for Planet: demonstrating the brands’ contribution in improving our community, society, and the world we live in. Impact for Performance: while accelerating growth for brands and businesses sustainably. We will be the driver for positive change through this Impact Framework, and we will bring our people, our clients, and our industry forward with us,” said Virayavardhana.

Meanwhile, Nopadol Srikieatikajohn, chairman of Ogilvy Thailand, noted that throughout her time with Ogilvy, Virayavardhana has devoted herself to the growth of the company and their clients’ businesses, and she has fully immersed herself to the challenges and risen above all with effective and sustainable solutions. 

“The works under her supervision did not only shape people’s affections, but also their thoughts and behaviours, and went on to create ripple effects that transformed our society for the better. She is a true female icon who is loved and respected not just within the Ogilvy network, but by the wider communication community. I believe that, with her new, well-deserved role, Jiravara will continue to empower her people and bring our company forward with her unmatched business and emotional intelligence,” said Srikieatikajohn.

In September 2022, MARKETECH APAC interviewed Virayavardhana for theseries ‘Agency Leadership Decoded’, where industry leaders share how they are innovating their strategies to keep the morale and engagement of their teams in tip-top shape.

“Leaders must have the courage – to embrace the unexpected, to try the untested, and to charter the unknown territory – and they will surely conquer the furious tides of change,” she said in the interview.