MANILA – An ad veteran from Y&R is now at the helm of Omnicom Media Group Philippines.
Nicanor Gabunada Jr. has stepped down as Omnicom Media Group’s CEO and will be succeeded by Mary Buenaventura, the former CEO of Y&R Philippines.
Effective May 1, Buenaventura will oversee all of OMG’s assets in the Philippines together with the senior management team and leads for OMD, PHD and M2M. She will be reporting to Jasmin Sohrabji, CEO for Omnicom Media Group for SEA and India.
Buenaventura has been with Y&R Philippines for the last 13 years, starting as Division Director on various accounts across multiple categories to Chief Operating Officer and eventually to Chief Executive Officer in 2014, before leaving the agency in February this year.
In an interview with adobo about her departure, she said that her reason for leaving was to expand her knowledge, “[I want] new challenges and new learnings,” but couldn’t disclose just yet where she was moving to at that time.
Gabunada leaves OMG after three years to pursue another opportunity in the industry. Back in 2012 when he joined the agency, he took on the role left by Hermie “Mother” de Leon, who moved on to Havas Media Ortega.
“Nic has driven 3 years of continued growth and stability. Our overall offering and value proposition in the Philippines is much stronger across all our brands now. We are thankful for his leadership and wish him the best for his next challenge,” said Sohrabji.
His retirement came just a week after Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) Philippines announced that Leah Besa-Jimenez from Smart Communications, another non-media ad veteran, was named CEO of Starcom Mediavest, ending a year-long search for a successor to Joanna Chan-Mojica.
While most contend that advertising and media business demand their own breed of distinct leaders, Cheuk Chiang, CEO, Asia Pacific, Omnicom Media Group, believes that Buenaventura fits hand in glove with Omnicom’s plans.
“The Philippines represents a very important growth market for us in South East Asia. Mary’s proven track record in driving growth and building strong cultures is exactly the type of leadership we need right now,” said Chiang.
During Buenaventura’s lead at Y&R, the agency posted 2014 as a record year with 80 percent growth in new business and won its first ever Cannes Lions for ‘Anti-Dengue Bottle’, a project for Maynilad Water Services in partnership with Department of Health (DOH) in 2013.
