JAKARTA – Nicolas Menat, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis One Asia, has announced the appointment of Brian Capel as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the global communications enterprise’s operation in Indonesia, taking over the reins from Anne Ridwan, who is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. The appointment, which is effective as of 1st of June 2017, will see Capel lead Publicis One in a dual capacity as CEO as well as his current role as Chief Creative Officer (CCO).
Capel has 26 years of experience in the communications industry working in leading creative agency networks including Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and DMB&B across Malaysia and Indonesia. An established, award-winning creative leader, Capel’s body of work spans global and local brands including McDonald’s, Samsung, Telkomsel, CIMB Bank, Friesland Campina, Indofood, Philip Morris International, Malaysia Airline, Nestle, L’Oreal and Pizza Hut. In addition to that, Capel has also been a member of the executive committee (EXCO) leadership team of Leo Burnett and later, Publicis One Indonesia. Over the past nine years, he plays a key role, alongside the other EXCO leaders, in the management of the company as well as integrating the different entities under Publicis One. Brands under the Publicis One Indonesia umbrella includes Leo Burnett, Publicis, Razorfish, Saatchi & Saatchi, Starcom, Mediavest | Spark, Zenith, Blue 449 (previously Optimedia | Blue 449) and Performics.
Speaking about the appointment of Capel, Menat said,” Brian has the rare combination of creativity and business acumen, qualities that we need to succeed in our business today. His ability to understand the business realities of our clients and use creativity to deliver effective solutions for their communication needs are central to the strong track record he has built over the years. At Publicis One, we strongly believe that creativity is the biggest competitive advantage in business today. With his creative background, Brian brings a unique perspective to his new role as CEO. Combining this with his keen understanding of business, and management experience for close to a decade being a part of the EXCO leadership team, Brian is the ideal person to take Publicis One Indonesia forward.”
Continued Menat, “We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Anne for her contributions to the company,” Anne first joined Leo Burnett in 2012 as managing director of Alpha245 and was promoted to CEO of Publicis One in 2016. “Together with Brian and the EXCO team, Anne has led the growth of Leo Burnett and lay the foundation for Publicis One in Indonesia. We wish her every success in her next step.”
“I’m looking forward to the new role and the challenges that come with it. The world has definitely gotten more interesting from when I started 26 years ago, especially with all the specialties and skillsets that are available today. It’s very exciting to be given the opportunity to lead an organization like Publicis One, where services like creative, media, PR, Activation, Branded Experience Design, Digital and Tech are all under one roof and we have a whole new approach towards achieving results. We are in a very different world today where time, budgets and people are changing faster than we can imagine. A structure like Publicis One caters to this change by bringing all that our clients’ needs effectively and efficiently,” said Capel. “As CEO and CCO of Publicis One, my role is and always will be to help our clients achieve their objectives creatively whether it’s analyzing data, shaping business strategy or crafting creative solutions to meet new challenges everyday beyond the usual 30sec TVC. I am confident that today’s business challenges need creative solutions and creativity and innovation will always be the core of what we do.
Capel added,” The other important task ahead, which has also always been a priority for us, is to identify, inspire and groom talents. Previously my focus was the creative department, now, I’m excited to do so for the entire organization to strengthen the Publicis One offerings.”
Following its first year of operation as Publicis One, which unites all Publicis Groupe agency brands’ capabilities and expertise under one roof, Publicis One Indonesia has continued to achieve profitable growth. Leo Burnett Indonesia’s business also more than doubled between 2008 and 2016.
Capel began his career in Bozell Worldwide Kuala Lumpur as a photocopy artist by day and Pizza Hut Cook by night. From there, he worked his way up to become art director before going on to work with DMB&B Kuala Lumpur, Ogilvy & Mather Kuala Lumpur and Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Capel joined Leo Burnett Indonesia nine years ago as the Group Chief Creative Officer and led the agency to achieve many creative successes including the 360 Lotus in AdFest (on a regional level) and a Gold Integrated Clio Awards (on a global level). In 2012, Capel was ranked Top 20 Executive Creative Directors by Campaign Asia. On a local level, the agency’s work has consistently been recognized as the best-in-class across multiple categories including integrated, print, radio and TV. Under his leadership, the agency was awarded ‘Digital Agency of the Year’ in 2014 and 2015 and ‘Media Agency of the Year’ in 2015. In 2016, the agency continued its creative strength winning a Gold at AdFest and Andy’s and a Bronze at Cannes Lion.
