The American returns to the region after a eight years in the US with a brief to sharpen the newly acquired WPP digital network's creative offering.
Sklar has also been tasked to explore ways in which Blue's clients can go beyond internet marketing.
Sklar has also been tasked to explore ways in which Blue's clients can go beyond internet marketing.
“It is much harder for traditional agencies to try to learn data, segmentation and optimisation than it is for Blue to take our existing online creative leadership and apply it to the next generation of TV ads, where time-shifting and place-shifting are the new realities," said Jay Shapiro, global CEO of Blue. "Josh is truly a rare gem in our industry, merging these two worlds."
Sklar returns to the industry from the Texas Association of School Boards, where he was the director of online communications. He also had a spell at XM New York where he was chief creative officer.
He left Asia in 2000, when he was CEO and ECD of XM Asia Pacific.
Sklar commented: "Having been a founding employee of the very first digital ad agency in Asia [XM], I was here at the beginning of the revolution and I’m getting a distinct, similar feeling that the industry is about to go through another one."
He added: "Jay Shapiro and Blue have demonstrated to me that they are by far the leaders in the field, and I’m energized about the prospect of helping them ‘take it to the next level’ around the world.”
