A long-time ad man, Harris was previously in London for a year working as a travel journalist on in-flight magazines.
While he began his advertising career at Leo Burnett Sydney in 1969, Harris is no stranger to Asia and this is his second tour of duty at the network; between 1993 and 1999, he was CD at Publicis Eureka with current Singapore managing director Thomas Neo.
In addition to his journalistic stint, his other recent roles included a year in Dubai as regional creative director at Bates Middle East and a year in Brussels as copy chief at Havas Advertising.
Harris said he was invited back because the agency needed a replacement for creative director K.T. Sandip, who left in June for personal reasons.
He added that he accepted the job because he welcomed the opportunity to work with Neo and also because he would have the chance to do "the things that I was unable to do before as CD".
Harris pointed out that the departure of Publicis' longstanding chief executive, Ivan Chong, who left earlier this year, lead to a change in the way the agency was run.
Chong was a hands-on manager who was heavily involved in choosing which copywriters and art directors would work at the agency, said Harris.
However, he stressed that Publicis has a strong, overall track record.
"We had a lot of success in winning clients in Singapore, he said, adding that it has reached the point where Publicis Singapore is working on overseas assignments for local property developers, including two China campaigns for Keppel Land.
In terms of objectives in his new role, Harris said he wanted to provide creative leadership and generate excitement and passion in the agency.
He added that he was also aiming for the agency's creative work making a greater impact for clients, including Hewlett-Packard and SonyEricsson.
The agency's other clients include Nestle, Renault, L'Oreal, Club Med, CDL developments and Cold storage supermarkets.
