KUALA LUMPUR – Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia announces the appointment of Michelle Ong as CEO of Dentsu One in Malaysia. Coinciding with Ong’s appointment, Atsushi Kurokawa is named Vice President of Dentsu One in Malaysia.
Orchestrating these strategic appointments, Nicky Lim, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network Malaysia said, “We’re moving into 2018 with considerable momentum. We have a good track record of new businesses, and these appointments at Dentsu One, along with several other Executive leadership changes made earlier within the group, have given us a stronger management team. Alongside Kurokawa san, we welcome Ong and the potential she holds that will unlock many more opportunities for Dentsu One, and further strengthen Dentsu Aegis Network’s creative capabilities.
“That said, the essence of our network’s ‘one market, one P&L’ operating model promotes inter-agency, cross-disciplinary collaboration. This gives our clients seamless access to the full breadth of our capabilities and services, as well as providing us the agility to navigate the market that will continue to transform in 2018 and beyond,” Lim added.
With 25 years of experience in advertising, Ong started out as a rookie account executive at Grey Group, followed by Ogilvy & Mather and Leo Burnett. She then steadily rose through the ranks to become General Manager of McCann Worldgroup Malaysia, and subsequently Managing Director of McCann Worldgroup in Indonesia. Later on, she spent a year as Head of Brands at Proton Berhad, Malaysia’s national automotive company, before re-joining the advertising world as Chief Operating Officer of Leo Burnett Group Malaysia, a position she has held for the past five years.
Commenting on her new role, Ong said, “At the rate the industry is evolving in today’s digital economy, we cannot afford to fragmentise. Marketers are expecting holistic, integrated marketing solutions from agencies. In this respect, collaboration is so crucial, in order to leverage expertise across the network to cater to marketers’ needs. I believe Dentsu Aegis Network is leading on this front with a singular vision across the whole business, that is to innovate the way brands are built.
“There will be further disruption, strong competitive activities and clients constantly on the lookout for new ways of working, therefore we will need to be on top of our game right from the start! So with that, I’m geared up for 2018 and looking forward to activate more collaboration across the network,” she shared.
Joining Ong at the top is Kurokawa, a Director in Dentsu Inc., Japan with 25 years of international experience in advertising. He spent 10 years specialising in global sports marketing, while another 15 years in global creative and marketing business development, of which five of those years he was tasked with corporate management of Dentsu in India.
Takaki Hibino, CEO of Dentsu Asia-Pacific, commented, “Momentum is critical in agency businesses, and with 2018 just on the horizon, both Ong and Kurokawa san will play a vital role in keeping the strong momentum going for Dentsu One in Malaysia. Furthermore, the diverse experience they both bring to the table makes it a powerful combo that will fuel the continued success and growth of Dentsu in the region.”
Their appointments are effective from January 2018.
