The hire is the first major signing since the arrival of Matthew Seddon, who enters his fourth month at Saatchis having joined from JWT with a brief to rejuvenate the agency's creative offering.
Seddon commented: “Tony is a fantastic coup for us since he brings a winning mentality and has worked above, below and through the line. He is genuinely passionate about producing great work and has the relevant skills and experience to see these ideas come to life through any number of media applications."
Prior to Proximity, Sarmiento had a stint at Grey, where he was regional creative director in Malaysia.
He joins Ace Saatchi & Saatchi on April 14th.
Sarmiento's awards tally includes trophies at the Clios, One Show, Cannes, the Kancils and the Asian Direct Marketing Awards.
