CAREERS: Bates puts Korea head at helm of 141

David Bridgman, chief executive officer of Bates and 141 in Korea, will take on the additional role of regional CEO of 141.

Herve Deville, Bates IndoChina CEO, will take the post of regional chief operating officer of 141 based in Singapore.

Both are newly-created positions put in place to help 141 win more regional business, said Matthew Godfrey, Bates director South Asia.

It also means regional clients will have a single point of contact, as opposed to speaking to several country managers, he added.

Jeffrey Yu, president of Bates Asia, said Bridgman was promoted because of his good track record - having earlier managed 141 in New Zealand and successfully established 141 in the Philippines.

"David has the right personality and expertise to ensure that 141 continues to grow.

"We have a lot of 141 offices but we need a leader who can bring them together and make them more robust," he added.

Meanwhile, Deville's role will involve developing 141's service offering across the region, particularly in the area of customer relationship management.

Rob Graham, CEO of Bates Malaysia, will take over Deville's former responsibilities as CEO of Bates IndoChina, based in Singapore.

Yu said Graham was chosen because he has a good understanding of IndoChina.

Prior to moving to Malaysia last year, Graham was managing director of the Bates Group in Vietnam.

In Malaysia, the agency has promoted Shukri Rifaie, client service director, to CEO.

"Shukri has been with Bates for about one year and was previously at McCann Erickson Malaysia," said Yu.

"We were always looking to hire a Malaysian to run that office. I told Rob when he first became CEO that 'your job is to hire someone to replace you'."