ASIA-PACIFIC – BANGKOK, JULY 17, 2012: Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has appointed Somyot Chairat as managing director for its Thailand office.
With over 20 years of experience in advertising and media communications, Chairat has overseen agency operations, most recently, as managing director of Publicis Thailand. Prior to that, he had managed McCann Worldgroup in Indonesia and Universal McCann Thailand among others.
Throughout his multi-faceted career, Chairat has worked across disciplines including creative, media, retail, planning, research as well as digital with a host of international and local brands in multiple markets including the aforementioned Indonesia and Thailand plus Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
Chairat will be charged with the operations and development of a thriving 15 man business unit. He will further lead a number of key accounts in MediaVest Thailand including Heineken as well as a growing number of major new local businesses racked up in the past year.
The agency saw significant growth since 2011 and doubled its client portfolio. Major new business acquisitions include Krungsri Bank, one of Thailand’s largest commercial banks, which was added to MediaVest Thailand’s fold earlier in January this year. Other accounts wins include Thai Oil, Nong Pho and Inbisco.
Somyot will also boost the senior management ranks and leadership of SMG in Thailand, which is headed by Atipol Ithivatana, CEO of SMG Thailand, and Triluj Navamarat, Chairman of VivaKi Thailand.
Chairat commented on his appointment: “I’m a firm believer of what MediaVest Thailand stands for and SMG’s ‘Human Experience’ promise and approach around consumers today.
Atipol has put together a brilliant, hungry and fearless team that will excite clients, both current and new, to what a media and communications agency can do. I’m delighted to be leading the charge, and am confident that MediaVest Thailand will excel and expand further.”