South Korea—TBWA Media Arts Lab (MAL), Apple’s dedicated global creative agency, has announced key leadership changes in its Seoul office, with the appointment of Minah Lee as managing director and the promotion of Youji Noh to executive creative director.
As the new MD of MAL Seoul, Lee will report to global CEO Katrien De Bauw and work alongside Noh to oversee the agency’s leadership and client relationships.
“Minah brings a wealth of experience in the tech world, having worked both agency- and client-side for Korean and American global brands. She brings an entrepreneurial, start-up spirit that we believe will drive MAL Seoul into its next chapter,” said De Bauw.
Lee joins MAL from her role as head of account management at Amazon Korea, with prior experience in marketing strategy and management at companies including Cheil Worldwide, Samsung Mobile, Coupang, and Vestiaire Collective.
Speaking about her new role, Lee shared, “It’s every marketer’s dream to work for an iconic brand like Apple. I’m excited to lead the team in Korea to drive strategic initiatives that strengthen the brand while leveraging the momentum of global K-culture trends. I look forward to working with Katrien and Youji to elevate the Korea team and maximise our potential.”
Meanwhile, Noh’s promotion to ECD reflects her growing leadership role at MAL Seoul, where she has contributed to the office’s creative development through projects such as AirPods Cases, Behind the Mac, the Shot on iPhone film by Park Chan-wook, and the Made on iPad music video for Jay Park, illustrated by webtoon artist Namon. She will continue to report to global chief creative officer Brent Anderson and will lead the creative and production teams.
“Youji is a tastemaker, pure and simple. She has repeatedly helmed work that resonates deeply with Korea and that organically creates impact, all while maintaining Apple’s distinctive voice and hallmark simplicity. Youji’s understanding of the intersection of media, art and audience makes her the ideal creative lead for this important market,” said Anderson.
Noh also shared, “I’m thrilled to be working with Minah to lead and grow MAL Seoul,” said Youji. “Korea is having a moment in culture across various disciplines, especially with youth at the core. To continue creating iconic, culture-shaping work for Apple is a dream job for me and the team.”
