He takes over the extra role from Wee Lam Gwee, who is leaving to manage Ogilvy's studio in Beijing.
"The business objective (in Singapore) is to duplicate the success we have had on the OgilvyOne side, said Burgess.
The two studios will remain separate although Burgess is keen to gain some economies of scale and standardise processes to boost efficiencies.
He also wants the advertising studio to introduce better quality controls, processes and managing of budgets.
It also needs to increase the scope of work it does and "to own as much of the process as we can".
Burgess said OgilvyOne's studio had expanded faster because it handled Design Direct, which in the main executes fast turn-around tactical work.
The studio also handles interactive, in-house high resolution retouching and some photography.
Burgess now reports to the Ogilvy Group Singapore chairman Andy Greenaway and also continues to report to OgilvyOne Singapore chairman Paul Davies.
The Ogilvy Advertising and OgilvyOne studios have four and three staff respectively not including traffic and freelance personnel.
Burgess joined O&M in August 2000 and was previously creative services director at Batey Singapore for two years. Before that he was studio manager at O&M in South Africa.
Burgess said he moved to Singapore as a result of some chance coincidences.
"One of my work colleagues (at O&M in South Africa) had an interview with Batey Ads in Singapore and I said to them jokingly if you hear of a vacancy for anyone like me let me know' and they did.
"I flew out here, had the interview at Changi Airport with the managing director of Batey, Robert Gibralter. It was 5am in a coffee shop at the airport because Gibralter was flying out that same morning, according to Burgess who is an expatriate South African but has only worked in his home country for two-and-a-half years.
He started his working career in Italy freelancing as a photographer and designer before establishing his own studio. Clients included Benetton, Diesel, Fiorucci, Stefanel and Rocco Barocco.
