Tag: TBWA\Asia

Singapore – TBWA\Asia has announced today that Mandy Wong, former managing director of TBWA\Singapore, has been named president of TBWA\Singapore. She will be taking the role together with Alrick Dorett, chief operating officer of TBWA\Singapore and Malaysia, and chief pricing officer of TBWA\Asia, as CEO Ara Hampartsoumian resigns from his position, a role he’s held since 2019.

Sean Donovan, TBWA\Asia President, said, “Change is opportunity. Time and again, the agency’s ability to respond to and grow from rapid change has been central to its success. Mandy and Alrick have demonstrated over the last several years that they are the ideal candidates to step up and lead our agency into its next great chapter. We’re thrilled both have accepted their new leadership roles.” 

Wong and Dorett bring together a deep and diverse set of competencies, backgrounds, and business perspectives. Wong’s focus will include client engagement, new business, talent and expanding TBWA’s creative competencies, while Dorett’s focus will include innovation and technology-driven transformation, operations, finance, and commercial strategy. 

Donovan added, “Ara has been part of the leadership team at TBWA\Singapore for eight years, first as managing director then as CEO. We thank him for the contributions he has made to the growth of our people, our clients and our collective. He leaves with our very best wishes.” 

Asheen Naidu, deputy executive creative director of TBWA\Singapore, has been promoted to lead the creative department as executive creative director, replacing Andy Grant who is leaving the agency. Naidu will join the Asia Creative Leadership Gang and continue to work closely with Perry Essig, who returned to Asia as chief creative experience officer. 

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Sabbagh who returned to Asia in July as chief strategy officer of TBWA\Asia will lead the Singapore planning department. Prior to moving to Asia, Emmanuel was chief planning officer at TBWA\Paris and global planning director for the agency’s McDonald’s portfolio. Emmanuel is based out of Singapore. 

Donovan concluded, “We’re fortunate to have incredible depth of leadership, not only within the Singapore agency, but within Asia and globally. This continued commitment and investment in training and developing of our people across all our critical roles [have] ensured TBWA\Singapore is set up for success under the leadership of Mandy and Alrick. We wish them well, and we thank Ara and Andy for their contribution to TBWA\Singapore.” 

Singapore – Advertising network TBWA\Asia has welcomed back Perry Essig, most recently the executive creative director at dentsu international, to step into the newly created role of chief creative experience officer.

In his new role, Essig will be working closely with the collective’s creative leadership across Asia and Ben Williams, TBWA\Worldwide’s chief creative experience officer, who was appointed to the role in October 2021. He will be joining a team tasked with further deepening the collective’s creative vision to push the boundaries of brand experience, by leveraging the power of creativity. Essig will also be focused on strategically pushing the creative integrity of the agency’s products and guiding clients in exploring new approaches, which add ongoing value and impact.

The appointment marks a return for Essig to the TBWA\ Collective, moving to Singapore from New York, where he worked at dentsu international. Prior to this role, Essig was the global creative lead for Standard Chartered and Singapore Airlines at TBWA\Singapore. He has also helmed global accounts at TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, TBWA\Juniper Park\Toronto, and Publicis.

Commenting on his appointment, Essig said, “With the lines blurring between digital and real-life, brands have evolved in how and where they’re showing up, immersing themselves further into our lives through the experiences they are creating. That’s what makes this role so exciting. I look forward to working with TBWA’s creative force across the region and globe to create needle-moving experiences for our clients.”

Meanwhile, Sean Donovan, president of TBWA\Asia, shared that as brand experience becomes the keystone of marketing strategy, it’s imperative, as creative partners that they provide a cohesive lens with which to affect disruptive growth.

“With Perry joining the team, we will be accelerating our Collective mission to deliver impactful work in an increasingly fragmented landscape,” said Donovan.

In May this year, TBWA\Worldwide appointed Kazoo Sato, former executive creative director at TBWA\Hakuhodo, to be its new chief creative sustainability officer at TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia. He will be the key creator of solutions to sustainable problems through the creation of innovative and unconventional design thinking, creative campaigns, products, experiences, and communications.

Tokyo, Japan – Global advertising agency TBWA\Worldwide has appointed Kazoo Sato, former executive creative director at TBWA\Hakuhodo, to be its new chief creative sustainability officer at TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia.

In his new role, Sato will be the key creator of solutions to sustainable problems through the creation of innovative and unconventional design thinking, creative campaigns, products, experiences, and communications for TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia collective. He will also be responsible for engaging in activities, which elevate the agency in Japan and the entire Asia collective’s learning and engender a pervasive culture around sustainable solutions. 

Moreover, Sato will be helping identify and define the clients’ long-term value, brand goals, and business objectives, advising on insight and approaches to drive change and make a positive impact across society, business, and the environment. 

Sean Donovan, TBWA\Asia’s president, shared that creativity is the most potent skill they can bring to address the issues of sustainability and Sato’s elevation to lead both TBWA\Hakuhodo and TBWA\Asia’s creative approach to sustainability is a natural one.

“His passion and curiosity about sustainability are evident across the work he has consistently delivered in his capacity as a chief creative officer of TBWA\Hakuhodo. In his new role, Kazoo will strive to make sustainability actionable and relevant across all clients and agencies by leveraging his outstanding and distinctive approach to creativity,” said Donovan.

TBWA said that in addition to this role, Sato was accepted and has commenced studying at the highly regarded Graduate College of Global Environmental Studies in Tokyo towards an MA in Global Environmental Studies.

Meanwhile, Chris Iki, TBWA\Hakuhodo’s chief operating officer, said, “This is an exciting career opportunity for Kazoo, who has consistently leveraged the power of creativity to make a difference in people’s lives and a positive impact on the planet, which is evidenced in his extensive portfolio of work. We congratulate Kazoo on his role and wish him well with his studies.”

Singapore – Advertising network TBWA\Asia has appointed Gabey Goh, former editor for Asia at research, case studies, and best practice provider firm WARC, to be its new associate director of innovation content.

As part of her new role, Goh will now be responsible for helping develop and execute the Asia collective’s innovation content strategy to deepen thought leadership and stimulate innovative ideas across the region.

Commenting on her appointment, Goh said that it was hard to say no to joining a team that brings positive disruption to brands, in a time when leading-edge thinking and work has become a necessary and business-critical asset.

“I can’t wait to lend a hand in telling these stories of transformation and triumph from Asia, with TBWA,” added Goh.

Meanwhile, Tessa Conrad, TBWA\Asia’s head of innovation, shared that to effectively articulate and amplify the creation of value they strive to bring to the clients via their innovation capabilities, the role of innovation content director has become an imperative. 

“Gabey’s adept ability to identify key emerging patterns across cultural content, data, technology and consumer behavioural trends, coupled with her experience and passion to create valuable and insightful reports, which resonate across cultural and geographical boundaries, will enable us to achieve our ambition,” said Conrad.