On-usa's appointment as managing director was made against the backdrop of her unresolved legal battle with her former employers. Grey sacked On-usa last year for breach of contract and later slapped a 200 million baht (US$5 million) civil law suit on her and former Grey vice-president and ECD Garry Cooper. The pair counter-sued Grey for wrongful termination, claiming they left as a result of inadequate support from the parent company.
Despite the controversy, Burnett's regional managing director, Richard Pinder, is confident he has found a true "business leader". Pinder said: "After an extensive investigation, we are comfortable there is no reason for there to be any concerns at all."
In other changes, Burnett's former managing director Pornsiri Rojmeta has been promoted to chief executive officer in charge of the overall running of the business, general manager Sasie Vadhanapanich will focus on planning, Bill Hickman will join as regional account director of General Motors from Siamese D'Arcy as part of the defunct agency's integration with Burnett. "We want to put new talent in place for the next 10 years," Pinder added.