Tag: Publicis Communications

Singapore – Global advertising company Publicis Groupe in Singapore has promoted Joanne Theseira, the current managing director of Publicis Communications, to be its new CEO of Publicis Communications in Singapore, where she will take on executive responsibility for Leo Burnett, Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Prodigious, and MSL. 

In this new role, Theseira will also champion the continued development of clear and ownable client, business, and employee positionings for the agencies under her stewardship. She will ensure that they are evolving in line with clients’ needs and reflective of the way consumers are engaging with brands today.

Additionally, Theseira will take on the newly created role of chief growth officer for Publicis Groupe SEA, and will report to Amrita Randhawa, CEO of Publicis Groupe Singapore and Southeast Asia. She will be leading Power of One accounts expansion, powering new business development, and managing the profile of Publicis Groupe in SEA. Theseira will also work closely with the Publicis Groupe SEA market CEOs and Practice leadership across APAC to deliver on the growth agenda.

Speaking about her appointment, Theseira shared that she believes that a strong and positive talent-centred culture is integral to the business of creativity, and this opportunity to hone and harness their different creative agencies is one that only Publicis Groupe can offer.

“Driving growth across Southeast Asia gives me an incredible canvas to scale and shape the future of our agency offerings and make a meaningful impact on our industry and our clients. I’m excited to get started,” she said.

Meanwhile, Randhawa said that Theseira’s passion for the creative business is addictive, and the clarity of her vision for their creative communications agencies and her determination to make the Groupe the fastest growing in the market is energising and impressive. 

“Joanne has demonstrated a strong capability to build high-performing teams and attract both clients and outstanding talent into the Groupe which makes her uniquely qualified to make an impact in this role,” she added.

Singapore – Public Groupe’s creative communication hub Publicis Communications has promoted Sharim Gubbels, its former group creative director, to be its new executive creative director for advertising agency Leo Burnett in Singapore.

Gubbels has been with Publicis Communications for the past five years, focusing on growing social and digital expertise across Publicis’ brands. In his former role, Gubbels has previously worked with Leo Burnett for the past 18 months leading the McDonald’s account. He has also worked on Samsung, Audi, and Disney accounts.

In his new role at Leo Burnett, Gubbels will be working closely with Publicis Communications’ CEO Lou Dela Pena and Chief Creative Officer Jennie Morris. He will be responsible for reimagining the agency’s ethos of HumanKind – the agency’s bold philosophy that represents the notion that ads must be centered on meaningful experiences – and what it means for creativity and clients in the new normal.

Commenting on his promotion, Gubbels said, “HumanKind is such a powerful way to create and foster true connections between brands and people, and I can’t wait to further expand on Leo Burnett’s already amazing body of work, and its ethos.”

Meanwhile, Morris shared that as the world re-evaluates what is really important and returns to the ideals of culture and community, there has never been a more important time for its ethos of ‘HumanKind’. With this, she sees Gubbels as the perfect person to lead the creative charge at Leo Burnett.

“Work like the highly acclaimed McDonald’s Ramadan ‘My Happy Table’ activation shows the power of what’s possible when we set out to not just solve business problems, but human problems,” said Morris. 

Dela Pena also commented that they are excited to elevate one of their brightest talents to lead the next chapter of Leo Burnett’s growth and to deepen human connections for their current and future clients.

Last April, Leo Burnett launched one of its projects with McDonald’s Singapore, physical activation ‘My Happy Table’. It uses technology and a camera set-up to help Singapore-based individuals ‘reunite’ with their families in Malaysia during Ramadan.

Singapore – To celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, McDonald’s Singapore has launched ‘My Happy Table’, a physical activation that uses technology and a camera set-up to help Singapore-based individuals ‘reunite’ with their families in Malaysia.

‘My Happy Table’ aims to help bridge the distance felt by Singaporean and Malaysian families due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this experience, family members will once again be able to eat breakfast together as though they are seated at the same table.

The setup will be done within party rooms at the McDonald’s Canberra Plaza in Singapore and McDonald’s Taman Desa Tebrau in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. ‘My Happy Table’ will open for public usage starting from 23 April to 28 April, with the call for entry on 19 April. 

Furthermore, McDonald’s Singapore has also released a video to mark the launch of ‘My Happy Table’, showcasing its employees in Singapore who are originally from Malaysia, and highlighting the difficult decisions the employees have had to take to support their families. The video underscores their longing for their family, especially during Ramadan.

The activation and the filming of the launch video were done in partnership with Publicis Communications’ global advertising company Leo Burnett Singapore.

“‘My Happy Table’ at McDonald’s is our way of helping to narrow that distance by facilitating mini-reunions for Muslim families during this Ramadan. As a brand that celebrates family togetherness, we’re heartened to see our employees and customers reunite ‘virtually’ with their families and create happy memories during these trying times,” said Drina Chee, the senior director of marketing and digital customer experience at McDonald’s Singapore.

Meanwhile, Jennie Morris, the chief creative officer of Publicis Communications, commented, “McDonald’s is one of the few brands that can authentically participate in culture. ‘My Happy Table’ is a wonderful example of meaningful creativity, where even just for a few hours, McDonald’s could recreate the magic of sharing a meal together – showing that our Spirit of Ramadan is definitely stronger than the border that divides us.”