Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In conjunction with World Happiness Day last March 20, Munchy’s Cream-O has developed a campaign with Universal McCann (UM), the global media agency network of IPG Mediabrands, celebrating the occasion with joy. 

The Munchy’s Cream-O Happiness Box campaign, as part of the Munchy’s Cream-O Choco Happiness ONz Movement, aims to connect with individuals at Ramadan bazaars around the Klang Valley to plant seeds of happiness to all Malaysians.

Over the campaign period, Munchy’s Cream-O will be stationed at selected Ramadan bazaars, including the now iconic Stadium Shah Alam Bazaar that is a popular spot for Ramadan fare. 

Upon registration at the Munchy’s Cream-O booth, individuals have a unique opportunity to nominate a loved one to receive a special Happiness Box of Munchy’s Cream-O goodies, delivered through a special collaboration with foodpanda.

Talking about the campaign, Rina Low, managing director of UM Malaysia, said, “Ramadan is a time of shared bonds between family and friends. It is also a time to acknowledge the special connections in your life, to spread kindness, love and happiness. In coming up with the Happiness Box, we thought, what better symbol of happiness than chocolate, that instantly lifts the spirit.” 

“The campaign also elevates the happiness quotient by connecting with the selfless act of giving to another, rather than receiving, and we are incredibly happy to collaborate with foodpanda as a delivery partner,” she added.

Meanwhile, Karen Ong, senior marketing director at URMunchy’s, commented, “Munchy’s Cream-O is on a mission to plant the seed of happiness everywhere we go, so happiness can grow bigger and better. UM has found a creative way of translating this idea with purpose, and we are extremely excited for Munchy’s Cream-O to connect with Malaysians in this personalised way. 500 Munchy’s Cream-O Happiness Boxes will be delivered over a five-day period from today onwards and we hope this delivery of joy energises the mood of everyone this Ramadan.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Universal McCann (UM) in Malaysia has named Sue-Anne Lim as its new chief executive officer. Her appointment officially takes effect on January 1, 2024; and officially replaces the interim management following Audrey Chong’s departure from the agency.

Sue-Anne has a total of 20 years’ experience in designing growth strategy for business and brand transformation, having worked with established MNC and GLC brands, with experience spanning multiple verticals. 

She has first-hand experience in post-merger cultural integration and raising business value for acquisition, and previously held roles at Trapper, Clear KL (part of M&C Saatchi Global Network), and Dentsu Aegis Network.

Speaking on her new role, she said, “I am excited to join UM and be part of this incredibly dynamic team. I’m here to build a solid business and a brand that people love, trust and respect, while ensuring that UM fulfils its pledge to be future-ready for our people, communities, and clients. It’s crucial for us to stay in tune with current trends, as they not only shape how people work, live, and engage, but also defines what matters most to them now and for the future.”

She added, “UM aims to be a trusted marketing partner that helps clients predict and create innovative strategies to not only protect existing business value, but also discover new opportunities. We cannot avoid economic and industry headwind, but we can prepare ourselves and our clients for it, and together, we will thrive towards the future, despite all uncertainties.”

Meanwhile, Bala Pomaleh, chief executive officer of IPG Mediabrands Malaysia said, “Sue-Anne is a welcome addition to the Mediabrands executive leadership team. Her strong capabilities in leading clients into growth spaces, strategic branding and marketing, and keen experience across data, tech and business transformation hold her in good stead as we look to build on UM’s future growth momentum. She is uniquely suited for this role given her ability to unite talents and deep relationships in the industry, and we look forward to her driving more success for the UM brand.”

Lastly, Kasper Aakerlund, President of UM APAC, commented, “I am pleased to welcome Sue-Anne to the UM network. She is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of success. I am confident she will help propel UM Malaysia to even greater heights as we navigate an ever-evolving landscape for our clients.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia –  Dentsu Malaysia has announced the appointment of Audrey Chong as its new CEO effective October 1, 2023. Chong will be taking over from Kien Eng Tan who will be retiring after having served as CEO since February 2021.

Previously having been the CEO of Universal McCann Malaysia, Chong brings 25 years of industry experience across media, creative, strategy and digital marketing with in-depth understanding and expertise of the Malaysian market. 

In her role, she will be responsible for growing and continuing the business transformation journey whilst driving integration across practices. Her perspective on building an agency model that delivers on clients’ needs will see new opportunities and growth.

Speaking on her own appointment, Chong said, “I look forward to joining dentsu Malaysia and foresee exciting times ahead. I strongly believe in dentsu’s strategy and the direction they are moving in, with new products, integrated servicing, and innovation to meet the market’s needs. They have strong momentum off the back of some significant market wins, and I believe Dentsu is poised to break away from the pack and build new growth and industry opportunities. 

Sanjay Bhasin, CEO of dentsu Southeast Asia commented, “I really wanted a hands-on practitioner who understood the market challenges and nuances; someone who could build upon the wins and momentum Kien and his team have created which have mostly been large local giants requiring deep understanding of the dynamic Malaysian market. Audrey’s reputation speaks for itself. She’s built a solid media agency now ranked number one in RECMA. She has a competitive skill set that will drive the business to new heights and is also a warm, intelligent, caring person who will make a great addition to our strong local Malaysian agency and our Southeast Asia leadership team.”

Meanwhile, Kien Eng Tan, outgoing CEO of dentsu Malaysia, said, “I’ve had an incredible journey with dentsu Malaysia and I’m happy to have spent my time here in the last few years of my agency career. I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity I have had to lead such a talented and creative team and I am confident that the spirit of innovation and passion for creativity will continue to thrive. The industry is fast changing, and I eagerly look forward to seeing great campaigns under the guidance of our new leadership.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Audrey Chong is set to leave her position as chief executive officer of UM Malaysia, and from Mediabrands in all. According to IPG Mediabrands, Chong aims to pursue opportunities outside the group.

The agency also noted that interim management of UM Malaysia will now fall in the hands of CEO of Mediabrands Bala Pomaleh and managing director of UM Rina Low who will lead the team and ensure seamless operations, closely supported by Bala.

Pomaleh said, “We would like to thank Audrey for being a key member of the Mediabrands family for over five years and wish her much success with what’s next. The process of hiring a new CEO is already underway, and it is important we find the right fit for the job in terms of leadership and innovation. We have some very exciting candidates in the pipeline which will be announced in due course.”

Chong served as UM Malaysia’s CEO from February 2021, and was also previously the chief investment officer of IPG Mediabrands from 2018 to 2021. Prior to that, she was the head of marketing communications at Digi Telecommunications and the senior group account director at M&C Saatchi Malaysia.

Singapore – Universal McCann has named former chief innovation officer at EssenceMediacom Sasha Savic as the company’s new chief executive officer. In his new role, Savic will galvanise the UM community around a growth mindset and leverage the agency’s industry-leading data capabilities to optimise and energise its go-to-market strategy.

In addition, he will be setting the vision for the agency’s global growth while also overseeing the strategy, product, operations, and management of clients including American Express, Honda, Johnson & Johnson, Levi Strauss, Nestlé and Sony, amongst others. 

Savic will report directly to Mediabrands Global CEO, Eileen Kiernan.

Prior to his C-suite role at EssenceMediacom, he also served as the chief executive officer for the US team at MediaCom for a decade. He also served several leadership roles at McCann New York and UM, leading media efforts for brands like Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, Intel, and Mastercard.

Speaking on his appointment, Savik stated that building connections is what drives him– from strengthening the community and partnering with clients to connecting consumers’ needs to a brand’s purpose and value.

“The role of media is timeless, and I am excited to join the global leadership team at UM, the undisputed leader in unlocking the power of data to enhance the purpose and longevity of brands,” he said.

He further added, “I look forward to bringing together content, data and brand meaning to create sustainable, long-term growth at UM, where I first got my media chops and fell in love with this industry.”

Kiernan commented, “A tenacious and dynamic leader who cares deeply about people, clients and community, Sasha is a consummate relationship builder who has driven results for some of the world’s most iconic brands. Sasha’s love of the business complements our strong, values-driven global culture, and his will to win and commitment to excellence will supercharge how we show up in the marketplace and for our clients. We are thrilled to welcome him back to the IPG family.”

Canberra, Australia – After a highly competitive process, the Government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT Government) has chosen to hand its overall media mandate to Universal McCann (UM) in Canberra. The remit covers all media strategy, planning and buying for the brand as well as digital and functional advertising across all channels. In addition, UM will be providing digital and creative content services. 

Brett Elliott, managing director of UM Australia, said that his team were thrilled for its appointment and for adding government client roster to the agency. He also said that they are excited to improve the lives of Canberrans by contributing to the ACT economy.

Elliot added, “Having one supplier with a clear line of accountability for all media placement needs means we can bring holistic reporting, deeper category understanding and the ability to drive shared learnings to the account, ultimately providing a more effective set up and efficient use of taxpayer funds.”

Meanwhile, the spokesperson of ACT Government expressed, “We were impressed with UM’s experienced team of media practitioners and their breadth of understanding of our needs and their enthusiasm for the task at hand. We look forward to working with the team to drive efficiencies and value for money in the way our Government engages with Canberra’s community.”

In 2021, the national government of Australia renewed its partnership with UM to be its agency of record through 2024. 

Sydney, Australia – UM’s consultancy practice, Business Analytics Engine (BAE), announces the appointment of Nimesh Chaturvedi to the newly-created role of associate director of data and technology. He brings in a decade of in-depth experience working with data and analytics in cloud-based platforms.

His immediate remit is to lead the data and martech solutions for brands realising the value of their first-party data and data science and optimising audiences and paid media, to drive growth.

Most recently, Chaturvedi was the senior data and analytics manager with Middle Eastern telco Etisalat and prior to that data and analytics manager with Reprise Digital MENA (Middle East and Africa). 

His experience creating digital transformation strategies and roadmaps is crafted from a deep understanding of a range of martech tools and technologies, including CDP, attribution solutions and first-party data warehousing in cloud and on premise, to help brands become more digitally mature.

He has also gained a solid understanding of identifying and proposing digital transformation strategies. working across a very diverse media landscape, audience base and level of digital maturity in sectors including retail, CPG, banking, telecom, travel and hospitality, media and entertainment.

Chaturvedi reports directly to Michelle Yeates, head of BAE and will work alongside Adam Krass, chief digital, data and technology officer at UM.

Speaking on his appointment, he said, “Opportunities to build and evolve a MarTech practice don’t come around very often. My mission is to help BAE deliver results for our clients through innovative growth strategies based on precision targeting high value audiences. In a world of big data, that means technology and analytics.”

Meanwhile, Yeates said that Chaturvedi’s appointment supports BAE’s ambition to invest in the critical skills and expertise to accelerate clients’ digital transformation and roadmaps beyond cookie-based media.

“With experts like Nimesh on our team we now have additional capabilities to build on the strong data & analytics foundations of the practice. His expertise futureproofs BAE’s offering, providing unparalleled experience in first-party data; propensity modelling; and digital measurement through privacy first clean rooms, ultimately unlocking client growth through more effective audience targeting and measurement,” she said.

Singapore – Global media agency network UM from IPG Mediabrands is expanding its presence in Asia-Pacific with a new affiliate office in Pakistan, launched in agreement with IG Square Pakistan.

The affiliate partnership takes effect immediately, and adds up to the 14 existing markets UM is in the region, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Speaking of the new affiliate office, Muhammad Sarwar Khan, chief executive officer at IG Square Pakistan, said, “We are very excited to be a part of IPG Mediabrands and I believe this relationship will bring a fresh perspective to the media landscape in Pakistan with data, technology and commerce playing a key role in reshaping consumer journeys and experiences.” 

He added, “I would also like to thank all of our clients and media partners for extending their support and I assure them that this new partnership will further equip us to deliver on our promise of imagining growth globally.” 

Meanwhile, Adnan Shaikh, director and chief operating officer at IG Square Pakistan, commented, “I am humbled and excited to share news of IG Square’s affiliation with IPG Mediabrands to represent Universal McCann (UM) in Pakistan, and introduce other agency brands in the future. We are extremely thankful to our team members, clients and vendors for their trust and confidence. We are committed to magnifying the UM brand image in Pakistan, and extend UM’s regional and global experience and expertise to our clients.”

Kasper Aakerlund, president at UM APAC, commented, “I am delighted to be in a position to confirm our official affiliate partnership with IG Square for UM Pakistan. An important growth market for many of our regional and global client brands; the launch of UM Pakistan will serve to future-proof our regional efficiencies and expand our competitive remit and opportunities across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Top online food and grocery delivery platform, foodpanda, has appointed Mediabrand’s media network, Universal McCann (UM), as its new media agency of record.

As part of the remit, UM will be overseeing foodpanda’s media duties including strategy, planning, buying, and research, as well as data and analytics.

Bernard Chong, foodpanda’s marketing director, commented, “We were especially impressed by the people we met, and the commitment of the UM team. We are confident their insightful expertise across data, analytics, and storytelling will help us drive more brand love for foodpanda.”

Audrey Chong, Universal McCann and UM Studios’ CEO, shared that UM aims to help build brands that disrupt through data-led integration, digital acceleration, and content creation through a consultative lens, and this aligns with foodpanda’s vision of the media partnership. 

“The team is excited to get started on this fun, daring brand and we look forward to collaborating and building more buzz together,” said Chong.

The appointment of UM will commence in the first week of December 2021.

Just recently, foodpanda has announced a new vertical within its platform, partnering with Chinese tech giant Xiaomi to now deliver consumer electronics and appliances starting with Singapore and Thailand.